


30 Undertale Prompts

by FaerieMayden



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: 30 Days of Writing, Alcohol, Alternate Universe - Flowerfell, Birthday, Bullies, Christmas, Coats, Coping, Crybaby Gaster, Cuddling & Snuggling, Drabbles, Feelings, Feelings Jams, Fireworks, Flashbacks, Fluff, Gaming, Gen, Implied Relationships, Leaf piles, Mario Kart, Narcolepsy, New Year's Eve, New Year's Kiss, New Year's Resolutions, One Shot Collection, Panic Attacks, Pillow Fights, Platonic Cuddling, Platonic Romance, Play Wrestling, Praise, Sans Needs A Hug, Scarves/Coats, So Sweet It'll Rot Your Teeth, Sparring, Stargazing, Tickle Fights, Tropes, Wrestling, cat rooms, ice cream parlor
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-03
Updated: 2017-01-02
Packaged: 2018-08-28 19:19:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 30
Words: 25,406
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8459920
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FaerieMayden/pseuds/FaerieMayden
Summary: Basically I gave myself a challenge to post 30 short one-shots before January 1st, 2017, as a test to my consistency and dedication. Let's see if I can pull it off! Prepare for boatloads of fluff!The teen rating is for swearing, and swearing only. That being said, I don't use swear words in writing often. But just some forewarning.EDIT: Complete! And on time! Boo-yah!





	1. Cat Rooms (Sans, Reader)

**Author's Note:**

> Day One - Cat Rooms  
> Characters: Sans, Reader

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Day 1 - Cat Rooms  
> Reader and Sans go to the pet store--the cats all love Sans and climb all over him.

Monsters have been on the surface for some time now. You met Sans after bumping into him during one of the Pro-Monster Rights’ Protests, on complete accident, and his pun in response to you falling to the ground had had you snorting and giggling like crazy. He had liked it, and you two ended up becoming friends.

Some time later, you and Sans had quickly become best friends, bonding over your mutual love for bad jokes. “What do you call a rich chicken?” You had asked once, having created the joke yourself. Sans rose a brow bone, curious. “I dunno. What _do_ you call a rich chicken?” You smiled, cheekily, and said, “a chicken nugget!” He paused, thinking it over for a moment, before snickering as it dawned on him what it meant. “Heh, that was a good one, __.” He complimented, and it went on like that for awhile, until you somehow got onto the topic of animals. More specifically, cats.

“Have you ever been in a cat room, Sans?” You asked, tilting your head slightly to the side. Sans gave you a confused look, shaking his head. You, of course, gasp. All over-exaggerated-like, like you were playing a game of Shatner. “Oh my God, dude. This is a thing that must happen.”

And that was how you ended up at a local pet store, sitting on the floor in the middle of a cat room.

“I dunno about this, bud,” Sans said as he followed you inside the cat room, only sitting down next to you when prompted. The cats, usually all asleep on their cat towers and expressing overall low interest, perk up at the presence of the skeleton and all begin to approach. You’ve never seen anything like it. Sans’ magic flared nervously, his left eye socket flickering and sparking, but not igniting. You pressed a reassuring hand to his shoulder as the cats continued to approach, determined and undaunted by his instinctively threatening gesture.

Before long the felines were upon Sans, curling up in his lap and wrestling each other, languidly like any fat cat would, for any spare room. One or two gave you attention, but otherwise the spotlight was entirely on the skeleton next to you, and you couldn’t help but laugh at the multitude of colorful pelts covering the other, as a Russian Blue clambered up Sans’ back and tumbled into his hood, falling into it like a hammock. And rather than freaking out like a cat knocked off it’s paws usually might, it just fell limp in there.

“If I didn’t know better, I’d say that cat there is your reincarnation,” you joked, pointing to the poor feline that had fallen still in his hood. Sans twisted his head this way and that, trying to see where you were pointing, which caused the cats in his lap to shift with him and growl, quietly, at the disturbance. Out of fear or surprise, you didn’t know, but Sans froze in his tracks, looking at you wide-eyed with an expression that clearly read: “help!”

But you just shook your head, smiling and laughing. “You’re on your own, buddy.” You made to stand up, just to mess with him, and Sans actually freaked out. The cats finally left the skeleton alone, dissatisfied with the fact that he couldn’t stay still, but the cat that had fallen into his hood seemed pretty determined to stay there. You reach in, pulling the feline out and cuddling it to your chest. Oh, how you would love to bring it home. It was a beautiful Russian Blue with gray eyes. Your heart melted as it slowly blinked open it’s eyes, looking up at you and then parting it’s teeth in a mighty yawn.

“Yup, definitely a mini you,” you chuckled, only to look up and realize that Sans was nowhere to be found. Probably took one of his shortcuts, the sneaky bugger. You huffed, putting the cat back down on the ground with much reluctance before deciding to go looking for him. He wouldn’t escape this that easily!


	2. Pillow Fights (Reader, Underfell Sans)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Reader realizes that Underfell Sans has never been in a pillow fight before, and introduces him to it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Day 2 - Pillow Fights  
> Characters: Underfell Sans (Red), Reader
> 
> So I woke up this morning, and this thing had 15 hits. Then I posted an ad on an app I hang out on and four hours later I had 99. Then I posted again thanking all the people that viewed, and was bumped up to 150+. Y'all are nuts.

It’s been a fairly uneventful night, so far.

It has become a sort of ritual for you and Red to curl up on the couch and watch a movie. Sometimes they were movies that were generally good, but your tastes tended to clash a lot, so more often than that you would put on a bad movie and pick it’s plot apart, insulting the intelligence of the characters that were in them.

Red had been looking pretty sleepy. His head was propped on his palm, which was perching on the arm of the sofa. His eye sockets were half-lidded, and every now and again his sharp teeth would part to release a yawn. Your eyes glinted, little to his knowledge, as you got a mischievous thought. What if…?

Red is suddenly jerked awake by the feel of something soft connecting with his face. Despite the gentle contact, it startles him enough to go into fight or flight mode. Unfortunately for you, his instincts seem to choose the former, and you’re pinned up against the couch by your SOUL, pointed bones aimed threatening and close to you. You shrunk into the couch cushions to avoid being cut by one of them in their close proximity. Red’s eye sockets were black, and he was sweating profusely.

“What the fuck was that for?” He growled, looking at you. And then you realized...he came from a world where it’s Kill or Be Killed. He would see something like that as a threat. Upon closer inspection, you realize he looks...betrayed? Fretting, you rush to explain, tripping over your own words as you do so.

“I-it was me trying to start a pillow fight,” you said, and Red’s expression closed off even more at the word ‘fight’. He wasn’t getting it. “Have you never been in a pillow fight before, Red?” God, what kind of an idiotic question was that? The skeleton paused, then shook his head. “Well, you just grab a pillow, and then you either throw it at someone, or whack ‘em with it still in your hand.” You try to sit up against his oppressive magic, and realize that you can. The bones were also starting to look rather transparent, and backed up as you sat up. When Red’s pupils came back, they held something devious.

“Oh really, now?” He said, tone sickeningly sweet. Oh, no. You knew what that voice meant. “Red, what are you--” And suddenly you are knocked across the face with a couch throw pillow, the force behind it sending you back into the couch cushions. You grunt with the force, and only when it goes quiet do you chance opening your eyes. When you do, it’s to Red looking down at you, a triumphant look on his face. You narrow your eyes at him playfully.

“Oh, you’re playing a dirty game there, bone boy.” He stifled a laugh behind his hands. It was cute and comical how he had to cover his teeth, due to his lack of lips, as his eye sockets pinched at the edges. “Well. Two can play at that game. It’s so on.” And then you took the pillow that he had thrown at you and twisted so you were on your knees, lunging forward. But just before you could swing forward and whack him with the fluffy fabric, Red took a small shortcut to the other side of the couch. Somehow, he had procured another pillow, and he whacks you from behind with it.

“That’s cheating!” You pout as you turn around, only to get whacked from behind again. Face twisting up, you move to turn around, but feign it and just as he teleports behind you, you swing. The pillow clocks him across the face, and when the pillow falls free from your hands, he’s...wide-eyed, and just looks over-all dazed. Surprised, perhaps? Regardless, you fail to stifle your laughter, leaning back and laughing loud and uninhibited. “Y-your face!” You cackled, only stopping when Red looked a bit disheartened. Your laughter quickly died, face twisting in what you knew to be confusion.

“What’s wrong?” You asked, and suddenly Red jumped forward, wrapping you up in his arms. You made a confused noise in your throat as he nuzzled into you.

“I thought you were attacking me,” he admitted, sounding choked up. Your eyes widened and you immediately moved to wrap your arms around him, petting his back in reassurance. You spend quite some time reassuring the poor skeleton that you would never, ever do anything like that to him, no matter what. Even if you ended up in a scenario like the Saw movie he had forced you to watch last week. You would never turn on him.

It takes awhile, but eventually he’s reassured. You both cuddle on the couch, movie forgotten, and heads resting on the very same pillow you had first thrown at him.


	3. Stargazing (Sans, Reader)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Reader and classic!Sans go stargazing!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Day 3 - Stargazing  
> Characters: Sans, Reader
> 
> Decided to post two chapters in one day today. I've got time, so I figured I might as well utilize it. The less I have to do towards the end, the better, because then I'm not setting myself up for immense pressure.
> 
> That being said, I think this is my favorite (and certainly longest!) chapter yet. I hope you guys like it as much as I do!

You knew Sans was smart. He knew Quantum Physics from the inside out, and actually gave you lessons every now and again. Though it often went over your head, he was patient (you supposed that was why he had a light blue aura encasing his white SOUL) and reiterated as many times as needed in different ways until you could wrap your mind round it. Though no matter how many times you asked him, he would not share his secret on how he caused the inception that was his joke book/quantum physics book. You feel like magic somehow came into play, and that he was simply messing with you.

But that aside...he was good at everything he did. Despite being lazy, when you found something that he was passionate about, it was hard to get him to stop. And one night you had come to pull him from the lab, where he had resumed tinkering with a machine he said he had stored in his basement back Underground. When you had finally managed to pull him from his project, you had walked outside, and on the way home he had paused to look at the sky. He pointed in a vague direction, asking you if you knew what that constellation was. When you drew a blank, he named the constellation, the names of the stars that made up the constellation, and the story behind the constellation itself. It blew you away.

You had taken it upon yourself to educate yourself on astronomy, and bought a cheap balcony telescope to look through. It was actually very interesting, and you realized that despite science not being exactly your forte, you were absolutely fascinated. Humans took the existence of the sky for granted every single day, but Monsters had been stuck underground for hundreds, perhaps even thousands of years, never seeing the sky. How small they must have felt, after having been cramped under that small mountain for so long, and being suddenly released into such a large world. This world was so big, and they had been hidden from it for so long. You felt a swell of guilt for what your ancestors had done to the Monster race.

But that just meant that there was no better time than now to try and make up for it, right? So you had invited Sans on a picnic, and when he arrived at your house, you led him to the car. You then took him to the outskirts of town, and made him hike all the way up the mountain you had picked out. It really wasn’t that steep, not when considering how famous it was, but neither you nor Sans were very athletic in the first place. But throughout all of this, you never let Sans uncover his eyes, having folded a strip of cloth over his eye sockets and told him in a firm tone: no peeking.

Finally, after much effort and several puffs of asthma medicine, the two of you reach a sloping overhang on the mountain that overlooked the forest below, and the twinkling city far in the distance. You direct Sans to where he’s sitting down, a gentle breeze ruffling the fur on his hoodie. You smile before joining him, unstrapping the telescope from your back and getting it situated on the very edge of the cliff, aiming it at a specific point in the sky. “What is this all about, __?” He tried to ask you, but you just shushed him, anticipation building up in your gut. You just knew that he was going to love this.

“Okay, Sans. Just a few more minutes.” You said, watching as the sun’s dying rays filtered across the sky, dying it a brilliant combination of fiery reddish orange, pastel pink, and lavender. “Okay Sans, remove the blindfold.” You said and Sans did so. He blinked a couple of times before taking in the sky, still a multitude of colors, but right on the brink of twilight. He watched, eye sockets wide and pupils bright, as the sky slowly gave way, transitioning to night. The stars slowly winked into existence, and never once did Sans’ gaze break, even to look at you. But you didn’t mind, because you weren’t looking at him either. It looked so much better out here, free from the pollution of the city.

It’s a long time, maybe a half hour. By this point the sky is so alive with stars that you can see the milky way, a great patch of stars that lights up a good amount of the sky a bright white, banishing the navy blue, bordering blackness around it. There are swirls of purples mixed in, and neither of you have seen anything like it before.

You finally chanced a look over at Sans. There were blue tears streaking down his cheeks, and they looked like they were glowing in this light. The area around them was so pure, so free of pollution, that the moon cast it’s own rays, creating moon shadows rather than sun shadows of their forms on the sheer rock cliff.

You were out of the city, but not that far. You supposed there must be some magical residue clinging to the mountain.

“I saw the sunrise, but never the sunset…” Sans finally muttered, breaking the peaceful silence. All around you came the soft, peaceful chirp of crickets and rustling of wind through the leaves in trees, a several hundred feet below. “And the stars...__, they’re beautiful.” And then he notices the telescope, looking over at you wide-eyed. You thought the sky looked beautiful, but Sans looked absolutely...stunning. Those tear tracks on his face only added to the look; you knew they were out of joy, and it brought tears to your own eyes, knowing that you had been the one to draw such raw emotion out of the usually laid-back skeleton.

You gestured to the telescope, and Sans didn’t hesitate for a single moment, short-cutting to his feet and grabbing at the telescope, bending over somewhat so that he could look through the hole, at the skies beyond. His mouth actually opened at whatever it was he saw, and he gestured with a wave of his hand for you to come over and look, too. He stepped slightly to the side, allowing you the room to look through as well. You failed to stifle a gasp at what you saw.

The telescope had costed you $500. It had been worth every penny.

The two of you are out far into the night, taking turns looking at different parts of the sky, admiring the beauty of space. You ended up sprawled on your back together, just taking in the whole sky, a small smile on your face and a genuine grin on Sans’. It stays like this for awhile, and you feel overwhelming peace. Then there is the rustling sound of fabric shifting and you look over as Sans rolls over to face you, an adoring look on his face that made your heart melt.

“__. Thank you.” Sans said, and he sounded breathless. It was the most beautiful sound you had ever heard.

“Of course, Sans. Any time.”

It was a beautiful evening outside. The air was chilly, the stars were twinkling...it was a perfect night to go stargazing.


	4. Scarves/Coats (Reader, Underfell Sans)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Reader gets cold, so Underfell Sans offers them his jacket to borrow.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm feeling particularly productive today! I've been drawing things left and right. So I decided to end the night with an update or two!  
> I'm going to do my best to see this challenge through !!

"Of all days to decide to not wear my coat..." You grumbled as you crossed your arms over your chest, trying to maintain your body temperature.

You usually wore your coat everywhere, no matter if it was 105 degrees out, or below zero. But today you had decided to wear a thermal shirt and a sweater, thinking that it would be warm enough, especially since the forecast said that it would get warmer later in the day. But no, it just had to fuck you over, and now here you were freezing your ass off. You shuddered as you walked down the sidewalk, Red at your side.

The skeleton was certainly not the nicest; he could be crude, rude, and was kind of stinky, but he...reminded you a lot of yourself? And you knew, somehow, through a sort of sixth sense that underneath that rough exterior, that he wasn't as awful as he made himself to be. It was just the Universe he came from, making it difficult for him to be kind. You had always had an incredible ability to tell what people were like, from the surface all the way through. It was a big reason why none of your friends betrayed you; you knew from the moment you even glimpsed at them whether they were worth your time or not.

And Red was no exception.

But still, it didn't really help that Red kept on poking fun at your weakness, going on about how Humans were so weak, being so susceptible to such subtle changes in the weather. Talking about how Monsters, particularly skeletons, weren't weak to such simple things, and how for being stronger than all Monsterkind combined, Humans were much more pathetic than he expected. You felt your frustration rising, but the chill piercing your clothes and flesh, going right down to your bones, was much stronger. And suddenly you leaned up against a building, shivering and breathing, but trying to shallow it so that you didn't allow more of the piercing cold air in than you needed to. You curled into yourself somewhat, eyes pinched shut. Frost was beginning to form in your hair and on your eyelashes, bringing your core temperature down. And just like that, Red's voice cut off, the skeleton going silent and staring at you with wide eye sockets. Not that you noticed--you were trying too hard to warm up.

And then suddenly you felt boney hands closing around your upper arms, tugging you away from the building. The hands manipulate you, and you realize that you feel something somewhat heavy, and certainly warm being wrapped around you. You opened your eyes, looking down at yourself, and saw that you were now equipped with Sans' heavy black winter jacket. He looked so much...smaller, just wearing that red turtleneck, and you almost asked him if he would be alright before remembering that he had _just_ told you, albeit mockingly, that skeletons were immune to heat or chill. Would explain why he wore shorts and a coat. Who even does that, anyways?

"This doesn't mean anything, you know," Red told you, tone gruff as he looked off to the side. A light red blush was dusting his cheek bones. His brow bones were furrowed, and his teeth were grit. If that wasn't the cutest darned thing you had ever seen, you didn't know what was. You took a step closer to the skeleton, still shivering, but quickly warming up as you tugged the coat more firmly around your frame. You stopped when you were right in front of Red, looking up at him. He was about a head taller than you. And then, you smiled, your own cheeks flushed from the cold. "Thank you, Red." You told him, tone soft, before leaning up on your tip toes and pressing your lips to his cheek. He lit up a bright red, and you laughed as he looked away from you, starting hastily down the street in the direction you had been heading.

Still laughing, you jog to catch up with him. The cold forgotten. "Hey, wait for me!"


	5. Tickle Fights (Reader, Sans)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Day 5: Tickle Fights  
> Characters: Reader, Sans  
> Reader decides to tickle Sans to cheer him up when he’s looking down.

Sans had been acting really down in the dumps, lately. He thought you didn't notice, but you noticed everything. How when he thought you weren't looking, his shoulders would slump, and the lights in his eye sockets would go out, revealing the dark bags that circled under his eye sockets. How often he slept, how pessimistic he was, and occasionally, his upsetting attitude even showed in his jokes, sarcastic or even mean. It reminded you way too much of how you used to be, before you met him. You simply wouldn't stand for it.

You try a multitude of things to get Sans out of the hole he's dug himself into. But he acted like everything he had to do was a chore, despite never complaining, always dragging himself around. Most people might be offended by the lack of enthusiasm, but you were just worried. What if he Fell Down? You could hardly bear even the mere thought. And so, you upped your game. Sans often asked you what you were up to, with the sudden change of behavior, but you would never answer him, always finding some way to change the subject--the most often response being a simple, "just enjoy yourself." And he looked like he really wanted to, but was simply incapable of it. And it seemed to only be making him worse; the guilt of being incapable of feeling better, even for you.

It seemed that daily expeditions weren't doing it for him, so you figured that you would instead try to find things to do at home. Now and again Papyrus would participate, or even the Human, Undyne, or Alphys, but most of the time it's just the two of you. Sometimes you do things as simple as playing cards, or watching television. Other times, you end up curled up against him on the couch, both being lazy butts together. He never seemed to mind, running his phalanges through your hair. You remembered the first time he had done it, the bones feeling strange on your scalp, but it was still head-petting all the same. In the end your body reacted the same way it always did--turn into putty.

If there was anything that Sans seemed to find joy in, it was either making you happy, or making his brother happy. He always did so much giving, but never asked for anything in return, and it made you feel guilty. So you try your best to be happy for him, so that maybe he can worry less about you and more about himself, but he continues to flutter about, making sure you're okay regularly, and you're best friends. You smooch each other's cheeks and pet each other and snuggle on the couch. Why can't you figure out what to do for him?

And then the idea strikes you.

You've known Sans for some time now, and never once have you seen him get tickled by anyone. He often made a joke about his 'funny bone', but, you wondered...has it ever been tickled? And so, that evening, you curl up on the couch as usual with the skeleton, facing away the TV while his back was pressed against the backrest of the sofa, tucking into his side and acting nonchalant. Just as how you usually did. Perfect. These were one of the few times that you ever saw Sans completely relaxed, wrapped up in your embrace, completely off guard and trusting of you. It made your SOUL flutter, and then feel a bit of guilt, as you were sure he wouldn't be expecting this.

Steeling your nerves, you shift somewhat, then slide your hand under Sans' shirt before beginning to tickle his ribs. His eye sockets shoot open, left eye socket flaring and body jerking, before he realizes that he was feeling something...not pain, but not exactly happiness or content, either? Either way, it forced a laugh from him, uncontrolled and sharp at it's start; unexpected. He writhes next to you, fighting to wrestle you off of the couch, but your DETERMINATION maintains your balance on the cushions as you continue to fight the other's prying hands, fingertips swiping across various bones, trying to figure out where Sans was the most responsive. It seemed to be on his sternum, where the ribs all met, as when you tickled him there he became a wheezing, heavy-breathing mess, struggling for air as laughter overcame him to the point where tears were streaming down his face. You have never seen him so happy before.

And then, you finally relent, backing off just as you begin to worry that you might suffocate the heavily breathing skeleton in front of you. He slowly sat up once his cackling had faded to faint giggles, looking at you with eyelights brighter than you've ever seen them before. He was grinning, and when he caught sight of you, it only grew wider. He leaned forward, enveloping you in his arms, breathing in your scent before sighing it out and speaking. "Thanks for this," he mumbled, and you nodded. "It was no problem." Then, before you could realize what was happening, you felt bony fingertips digging into your sides, causing you to let out an abrupt shriek before trying desperately to move away. But Sans' gravity magic was holding you down.

Afterwards, you had a feelings jam. It seemed that Sans was still worried about the RESETs. You told him to not worry too much, and that you were here for him, and that the RESETs couldn't happen anymore. You both ended up falling asleep exhausted, cuddled up on the couch. A brother arriving home and walking past is the culprit responsible for later covering up the two friends with a spare blanket.

Your lives weren't perfect; not by any means. But they were similar enough, at least, and with the two of you together, you just knew that you could both make it out of this together.


	6. Flashback (Reader, Sans)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's the very first snowfall since Monsters came up from the surface.
> 
> Sans wakes up in a panicked frenzy. You, of course, take it upon yourself to calm him down.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Day 6 - Flashback  
> Characters: Reader, Sans
> 
> Honestly this wasn't?? Even on my list of prompt ideas I created?? But I was just sitting here this evening and even with my bad memory, the idea wouldn't stay away. So I decided to do it. Yup yup! Enjoy, to what little readers I have (in comparison to other fics at least, this is still way more than my stories for other fandoms. You guys rock!)

When the Monsters came up from the Underground, it was later in the Spring. And for several years, there was a lack of snow where you lived. So when you woke up one day to your friend mumbling 'no' over and over again, clutching the sides of his skull and left eye socket flaring bright blue, to say that you were worried was the understatement of the century.

Sans sounded haunted, shaking where he sat, likely trying to prevent himself from rocking. The sight was heartbreaking, and you immediately scooted off of the bed, making your way around and kneeling in front of him. You hesitated touching the skeleton, looking up at him as he stared unseeingly at his lap. Wherever he was, it wasn't with you. From this position, you could now see the bright blue glowing tears streaming down his cheek bones, his teeth grit and expression panicked. You had never seen something so sad before, and immediately your mama bear instinct kicked in with the urge to comfort and make Sans feel better. Standing up, you knelt down to grab Sans, picking up the (surprisingly heavy, but still light enough) skeleton into your arms before taking the spot he had been sitting, perching him in your lap. You then proceed to scoot until your back is pressed against the headboard. You gently grab Sans' shoulders, urging him back so that his head in resting against your chest, and his pelvis is between your legs. He's stiff on top of you, and quite honestly it's a miracle that he hasn't lashed out.

Usually when you tried to do stuff like this with Sans, touching him caused his magic to flare and sometimes turn aggressive. He had come clean to you at one point about the RESETs--about a demon child going through the Underground and killing everyone, and eventually Sans, as well. Over and over again, focusing on him and only him, until there lay a permanent scar on his sternum, regardless of True Resets reversing everything else. Touching him would set him into a panic, and usually you knew to stay clear, only able to use your words to bring him back down to Earth. But this time, you just knew that he needed physical comfort. And as his magic flared, despite being intimidating, you were filled with DETERMINATION. And so you lowered your fingertips gently upon his skull, beginning to gently pet the white porcelain bone, with such great care that you were barely even touching him. But it was having an effect--his one glowing eye flicked to look up at you, and you smiled warily back down at him. He didn't stop staring at you, and it became more unnerving the longer he did so, but you didn't relent.

From there, Sans slowly begins to lose his tenseness. His words trickle to a stop until he's silent, just staring at you. Furthermore, his phalanges begin to twitch, messing with eachother anxiously as he slowly comes back to himself. You know that by this point he's awake enough to know that you're there, and that he's here, in your shared bedroom on the Surface. Your hands move down to his shoulders as his gaze begins flicking about the room, and now instead of muttering 'no' over and over, he's counting the amount of days he's been on the surface. Three years, eight months, and eleven days. Over and over again he mutters it, telling himself the date, and occasionally looking up at you, convincing himself that you were never down there in Snowdin with him. It was a tragic sight to see, but you recognized it as his most effective coping mechanism; it was a grounding exercise. Although different, you had your own that you used in order to calm you down when you, too, got like this.

After somewhere between a half an hour and forty-five minutes, Sans is finally completely limp in your embrace, eye sockets shut and having rolled onto his side so that he could wrap an arm around your waist, cuddling you with his head still pressed into your chest. You smiled as you stroked the arm curled around you with one hand, and continued petting his skull with the other, the skeleton's breath even as you continued to hold him. "It snows up here sometimes," you mumbled when you were sure that Sans was almost asleep. The skeleton blinked open his eyes in a languid fashion, tilting his head without lifting it so that he could look at you. You smiled, looking away from him and instead at the frosted over window in the corner of your room. "I get that it reminds you of Snowdin; especially after waking up so often to finding yourself in that house down there again...I'm sorry that all that happened to you." You'd said it a million times, and Sans often blew you off, telling you how it wasn't your fault. But this time he merely grunted, burying himself back into your embrace. You now used both arms to wrap like a blanket around his neck, scooting down so your head was resting on your pillow and the skeleton was flopped over on top of you. You both lay there for a long time, Sans actively fighting sleep (panic attacks were exhausting; even more-so when you're always perpetually tired anyways), and you were staring at the ceiling, mind blank.

Then, suddenly, Sans sat up. Propping his upper body up on his hands, he looked up in your face, before giving you a cat-like nuzzle with his cheek bone upon yours. "Thank you," he rumbled, causing you to smile and for your cheeks to dye a soft ruby red. "It's no problem, Sans. I'm happy to help...and any time you need something, just ask." Sans hummed thoughtfully before flopping down again, looping his arms underneath and around you before tucking his face into your stomach. Muffled by the fabric of your night shirt (somehow, despite using telepathy), he asked, "then...stay with me?" You blinked, looking down at Sans. Made nervous by your silence, he looked up at you again, the lights in his sockets pleading. You felt like there was a double meaning behind his words.

"Of course, Sans. For as long as you'll have me." You replied, and the skeleton in question let out a relieved breath, allowing his skull to drop again. The hardness of it against your stomach caused you to grunt, but you quickly wrapped him up in your embrace once more as the two of you cuddled in the bed. You paused for a long moment before saying what was on your mind.

"I love you, Sans," you mumbled, and the Monster in your arms froze, likely in shock. It took him off guard every time you said it--and it was sad, but an unfortunate truth that the two of you had been working on together. Since you both had met, you have been working on putting each-other back together piece by piece.

"I love you too." He finally said, tone breathy (reverent, even, much to your embarrassment), despite the fact his mouth never opened, and he used telepathy to speak. You'd always found that bit of him strange; he acted as if he needed air in order to speak his mind. But you knew that he meant what he said, the look on his face proclaiming his love with far more intensity than any words ever could.

Here, in this house on the Surface, wrapped in Sans' embrace...you were finally home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hickity heck, all hands on deck.
> 
> ...
> 
> I don't even know. I was just sitting here and the idea of writing that in somewhere wouldn't leave me alone. Just like this chapter, meh heh heh.
> 
> I actually had this goddamn tab open since Saturday, but I kept on procrastinating on writing the chapter. Finally got it done at 10:30 PM on freaking Tuesday night. Once Winter Break rolls in, I'm gonna have to get my ass in gear to get these last chapters out. I have stuff planned for Christmas and Newyears in regards to this fic, and I need to be caught up by then.


	7. Feelings Jam (Reader, Underswap Sans)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Reader has a bad day, and unloads on [skeleton]."  
> The skeleton for this chapter is Underswap Sans! Who better at comforting than a short ball of floof, amirite?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Day 7 - Feelings Jam  
> Characters: Reader, Underswap Sans
> 
> Trying to crank out as many chapters as possible before Christmas.  
> Man, one new pageview since I posted my chapter last night...probably the most anticlimatic climb in pageviews I've ever gotten, haha. Oh well.  
> For once, this project isn't about my reader count (though usually it's about enjoying myself anyways). It's about how dedicated I can be to my stories. So the show will go on regardless of audience or lack thereof! *thrusts leggie into air, Mettaton style*

You walk through the door to the Skelebros' house, immediately dropping your backpack by the door and making a b-line for the couch. You'd worry about moving it to your room later--right now, you just needed to sit down and recuperate. You sat down on the tacky green sofa in the living room, propping your elbows on your knees and resting your head in the palms of your hands. Your fingers ran aggressively through your hair, more of it falling out than usual as a result. Your hair always looked frazzled when you were stressed, fluffing up on it's own--it had looked like that all week so far.

It was finals at the school you were going to, and it had been ripping you to shreds. In high school finals had been easy enough, but now that you were in college, you actually had to spend hours upon hours studying, and there just wasn't enough hours in the day to keep going to the classes, study, and do self-care while getting the normal amount of sleep. You didn't have any time to yourself anymore, and it was beginning to wear you down.

You knew that you could be studying right now--should be studying right now, but your brain was just too overworked. You had never really been that good at handling stress, even though it was a regular thing in your life, ever since you had become a teenager. And now you were an adult, and you were hardly any better at handling it.

You heard the front door open and close, but didn't look up, even as the weight on the couch shifted and a body leaned up against your own. You already knew who it was, but you didn't want the skeleton at your side to see the clear tears streaming down your face--you were a silent crier, but still an ugly one, and knew that your face was more likely than not a gross beet red. You hardly resisted the urge to sniffle as snot trickled down your face, curling over your lip. Gross.

"Human?" Came Sans' voice, much softer than usual. It always took you off guard when his voice was quiet, as he was usually loud and nothing short of optimistic. You wished you could be like Sans--never letting anything get you down, no matter what. It seemed like all the Monster Racism on the Surface couldn't wipe the smile off his face. You dared sneak a peek at him from out the corner of your eye, and you didn't think you'd forget the look on his face for a long time.

Never had you thought that your own despair could possibly remove that optimism from Sans' expression--his teeth were somehow quirked in a frown (you had long since stopped questioning how that was physically possible; you did know by this point however that Sans and Papyrus merely looked like skeletons, that being the appearance that their SOULs decided to take on. They weren't really, in fact, Skeletons. You figured that that had something to do with it, despite Papyrus' constant assurances that it was just "magic" and nothing more. That wasn't good enough for your logical mind) and the bright blue stars were gone from his sockets, instead just soft baby blue eye lights, round and focused on you in concern. But it was already too late--you looked away quickly, but he had already seen a flash of the despaired expression you wore, and your stomach churned with guilt at being the thing that brought his mood to anything short of constantly ecstatic.

"What's wrong, Human?" Sans asked, and when you didn't respond--you couldn't bring yourself to; partially because of your brain not computing with your lips, and partially because you didn't want him to hear your gross snotty voice crack--his voice grew quieter as he practically whispered your name. He never used your actual name, preferring his own nicknames, and it actually caused you to jump. Without realizing it you had turned to look up at him, and the blueberry himself had actually jumped at just how sad you looked. But the sorrow in his face quickly shifted instead to concern as he lifted a gloved hand to your face, gently brushing away the tear tracks.

"I'm fine," you assured him weakly, and the scolding look he gives you in response to the obvious lie causes you to chuckle wetly. You finally sniffled, wiping your nose on your sleeve--disgusting, but you didn't want snot in your mouth--and reluctantly making eye contact with Sans. You were sure your eyes were red, and you hated yourself for your weakness.

"Tell me what's wrong," Sans said, and there was no room for argument to his voice. You told him everything, somehow ending up leaning up against him as you spilled out all of your stresses and worries, no matter how big or small. Talking about how you couldn't take any time to catch your breath, and you were constantly emotionally and physically drained from all the information you had to take in day and night, and all of the sleep it was robbing from you in turn. Sans listened attentively the whole time, almost unblinkingly and nodding now and again. By the time you had finished your word vomit, you had felt like a huge weight had already been lifted off your shoulders. You knew from years of therapy that talking about your problems made coping easier, but you still had difficulty letting down your pride now and again.

"I think you're trying too hard," Sans finally said. He had at one point removed one of his gloves, and gently combed his phalanges through your hair, causing you to shudder and lean instinctively into his touch as he spoke. "You don't have to get a solid A to pass--a B, or even a C is still just fine." You looked at him, brows furrowed--you knew this, but you had to prove to yourself--to everyone--that you weren't useless, and could be more than just some lump in your best friends' house. Sans knew this, and you knew he knew this, and he knew you knew. You decided to stop the inception before you gave yourself a worse headache than you already had.

"But Sans, I--" he cut you off with a shake of his head, torso twisting so that he could use his other hand to gently clutch your jaw, turning your head to face him. His expression appeared determined, eye sockets narrowed somewhat as his brow bones furrowed, his teeth still crooked into a slight frown as he looked at you. "You're not useless," he assured you. You wanted to protest, but he didn't give you the chance, trucking onward. "Sure, before these classes you tended to lay around a lot, sometimes you were even as lazy as Papy! But that's what's so endearing about you, __, and I hate to see you tearing yourself apart like this. You're trying so hard to prove yourself, but you've already proven your worth to me and others long ago." He leaned forward, pressing his teeth to your forehead in a skeleton's imitation of a kiss, and your cheeks turned rosy red for a reason other than your tears. You sniffled again as he smiled, small and sad, up at you. Patting your cheek with his warm skeletal fingers.

"You're such an amazing person, you know? You're so strong for trying so hard like this. But you know what I think?" You paused, before shaking your head. Sans laughed, one of his usual laughs, despite the melancholy tone of voice he had adopted. "I think you need to take some time to yourself, to relax. Because if you keep going like this, you're not going to take in any of the information anyways."

That was how the two of you ended up curled up on the sofa, watching shitty television while you looped your arms around Sans and he ran his hands idly through your hair, occasionally dipping down to massage between your shoulder blades. That was also how you ended up getting some much needed sleep; for the first time in weeks, you got the healthy amount that you needed. Nothing said that you had the right to a good long rest more than the most active skeleton you had ever known laying down with you, staying there even until you woke up. You hadn't done a damned thing that day, and somehow that made you feel...good. You were incredibly grateful for Sans' help.

You aced each and every one of your finals.


	8. Not That Kind of Drive (Reader, Underlust Sans)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Underlust Sans tells reader about how he’s actually asexual, and only sleeps with others because his Universe made him feel like he has to.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Day 8 - Not That Kind of Drive  
> Characters: Reader, Underlust Sans
> 
> Finished my last final for the day. Kind of frustrated since 90% of the stuff I studied for and my teacher went over in class didn't actually show up on the final. But oh well--hopefully I'll still make it out alright. Now just kicking back with another chapter for you guys.
> 
> Hope I'm not just talking to air.
> 
> Trigger Warning: Slightly suggestive themes, but otherwise SFW. Also some drinking, but not a lot.

You and Sans met in a fairly cliche way--you, of course, met in a bar.

You weren't much of a drinker; in fact, you were pretty lightweight. But every now and again you would drop by some establishment or another and get something light to take the edge off. You typically came alone, despite the fact that it was recommended that you come with friends--your drinking habits weren't really something you liked to talk about. You knew that you had some sort of alcohol addiction, despite the fact that you had the self control to only let yourself indulge in it at most once every few weeks. At first there had been some novelty to it; you told your friends when you drank because your grandmother had let you, and it excited you, despite your overall lack of interest in the drinks.

The skeleton had sidled into the booth next to you, asking you with half-lidded eye sockets if you'd like to dance with him. While you loved to dance, you'd put all the money in your wallet on a bet saying that more than half of the people on the dance floor were dirty dancing, and that wasn't your style. You preferred stylistic dancing, and politely declined. Much to your relief, he didn't pester, simply hanging around for a few more minutes before getting up and leaving.

Despite yourself, in your buzz you found yourself seeking out the skeleton among all the warm bodies in the room--he had been the one person to notice your existence in this place, whilst also acknowledging your preferences and not pestering you on them. When you find him, it's to the skeleton sensually grinding against a stripper pole, hooking his leg around it and occasionally twirling or dipping to the ground before shoving back to his feet. The blue fur collar on his sleeveless vest waved this way and that with his jerky and yet attractive motions. It takes you a moment to realize he's staring right at you as he does this, and you flush deeply before looking away. Why was he looking at you? You didn't understand.

The next time Sans sat next to you, he doesn't ask anything of you. Just sits there; the silence is oddly comfortable, filled by the bass of the music filling the establishment. You had cut yourself off by this point, limbs heavy with a pleasant buzz and a goofy smile on your face. You had only had one glass.

"You got any friends here with ya, sweetheart?" The skeleton asked, and when you shook your head, he frowned slightly. "Well, if you'll give me the chance, I can be your pal. The name's Sans. Sans the Skeleton." He leaned over, sockets somehow lidded again, pupils in the shape of inverted hearts. You found yourself entranced by the expression. "And you're looking kinda tipsy. How much did you have to drink?" You pause before answering him, and Sans blinked once, twice, before chuckling. "Wow, you don't drink much, do ya?" You shake your head. "Well, how about this. When you're ready to go, I can help ya home. Yeah? S'not safe leaving this place after having a drink, no matter how close to sober you are." Despite hardly knowing the bizarrely aesthetically pleasing skeleton, you find yourself nodding.

It's not long before you find yourself heading out of the bar, and back to your place. Sans was such a kind Monster, you learned, despite his clearly flirtatious nature. You found yourself smiling and laughing at some of the things he said, and he would watch you as you cackled uncontrollably with awestruck sockets, as if he was somehow already infatuated by you. When you get to your house, the two of you pause on your doorstep. You hesitated there for a moment, looking down at him from where he stood on the first step of the porch, before asking, "would you like to come in?"

Sans only hesitated for a moment before nodding, and you unlocked your door before heading inside, holding the door open for him. Sans steps in easily, and you follow after him before closing the door behind you. To your shock, as soon as the door is closed Sans pins you against the wall, arms on either side of your head as he leaned down to lave a suddenly present tongue along your clavicle and up into the juncture of your neck and shoulder. You went completely rigid under his touch, sparks shooting up and down your spine. You were incredibly sensitive by nature--having been denied much physical contact as a child. You arched into his touch, briefly left immobile before bringing up your hands to shakily grip his shoulders, pushing the obtrusive skeleton back at arm's length. He stared at you with bewildered sockets.

"Let's slow down for a minute," you slurred, blinking sluggishly at the skeleton in front of you. He does so, taking a step back, and your hands fall back to your sides. "'M...not a huge fan of rushing into things like that, yanno? I prefer...some buildup. Emotional attachment and junk." Sans nodded, understanding, and he looked oddly...relieved? You didn't question it as you led him over to your couch, sitting and patting the space next to you in invitation for the purple-and-blue themed skeleton to join you.

"To be honest with you..." Sans started, and he had your attention, despite the subtle background fogginess in your head. You really were such a lightweight, weren't you? But you understood his words perfectly as the other fiddled with the zipper on his vest. "I'm not really into sex. I don't...care for it? I just..." He grunted. "I was brought up with the ideal that I had to fuck in order to fit in." It was clear he was hiding something from you, but you barely knew each other, and knew better than to pry. He prattled on. "I'm...I think I'm asexual? But that's practically unheard of...where I come from." He looked down at his lap for a moment longer before his skull lifted, looking at you. "So...thanks for pushing me back. I wanted to slow down, and get to know you, because you seem like you'd make a great friend...and I don't want to ruin that."

Before realizing what you were doing, you're tackling Sans into a hug, knocking him down into the cushions of the sofa as you snuggle into him. You loved to hug people, and despite being made of bones, you found Sans quite soft. "It's alright, I understand." You understood about half of it, but you were willing to keep trying to comprehend. "But...of course I'll be your friend, Sans. No bones about it." He chuckled at your pun, looping his arms around your torso and pulling you down into him. You smiled, flushed, into the side of his skull as he did so. There was nothing heated about your bodies pressed against each other--only a fuzzy warmth that had arisen surprisingly fast. You typically took a bit longer to warm up to people.

But Monsters had always been so much kinder than Humans, and you had always been pretty keen at identifying the deep personalities of others. And right now, you saw a sad, lonely skeleton that had too many temporary partners and no constants. You were, of course, perfectly willing to become that constant.

"You can stay or leave...I don't mind either way," you said before you could stop yourself, and made an awkward sound into the bones of the other skeleton's neck. He chuckled, hands raising to rest either on the top of your head or on your shoulder blades. "Thanks for the offer, sweetheart. I'll have to take you up on it." You were oddly satisfied with the other's response, and remained snuggling there on the couch for a long time, not a care in the world.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is actually one of my bigger headcanons for Underlust Sans. Underfell seems to be the AU with the most porn, despite Underlust being a thing, and I actually headcanon that Underlust Sans actually doesn't want to have sex with anyone, but does so because he feels like he has to and, were you to pause for a moment and look into his eyes, they would be pleading for you to let him back out. It's a tragic but interesting headcanon I have. <33


	9. Ice Cream Parlor (Reader, Underswap Papyrus)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Reader takes Underswap Papyrus to the Ice Cream Parlor to get some ice cream to try out. Papyrus ends up falling in love with it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Day 9 - Ice Cream Parlor  
> Characters: Reader, Underswap Papyrus
> 
> Gotta keep 'em comin', keep 'em comin', keep 'em comin'...
> 
> Finished my last final for this semester. These last two weren't that bad at all! Got an 85 on my German final, and I'm feeling pretty good about my art one that I just finished.
> 
> So, uh, I guess this is kind of a celebratory chapter, despite being mandatory to myself anyways. Like an early Newyears resolution or something...
> 
> Also--18 days off of school (four more than we were informed of prior)! What am I going to do other than sleep and write all day?!
> 
> P.S: Shout-out to Scarpath for the idea regarding Sans keeping his narcolepsy, even in Underswap!

In the time since Monsters came to the surface, you've gotten to know the two skeleton brothers pretty well.

Sans was the older brother of Papyrus, and yet acted like he was the younger one. Papyrus was more laid-back, while Sans was more hyper (though you had on more than one occasion caught Sans being lazier than even Papyrus; apparently he had some strange form of narcolepsy, and it occasionally wore him...well, to the bone. Sans was completely immune to the effect of alcohol, while being extremely reactive to sugar. Papyrus was the opposite, being vulnerable to alcohol while completely immune to sugar, suckling on a bottle of honey almost every time you sat at the dinner table together. You felt like Sans setting a glass of water in front of him before every mealtime was more out of tradition (or perhaps holding out hope?) than anything, as after about five minutes Sans would always take the glass and drink it himself anyways. Papyrus never even so much as glanced his way when he did so.

The brothers were overall very interesting people, and you loved them to pieces. So when you found out that Papyrus had yet to taste any ice cream other than Nice Cream, you made a pretty big deal out of it.

Sure, Nice Cream was great and all--and Burgerpants was certainly an interesting character, to say the least--but there were so many other flavors other than vanilla, chocolate, and strawberry. At first Papyrus protested, but when you made it very clear to him that you weren't going to relent, he eventually caved. So you took him to the nearest ice cream parlor--a diner, actually; you would have to give him some of their food sometime, but now wasn't the day--and sat him down in a booth.

"Do they have honey ice cream?" Papyrus.

"No." You.

"Damn." But there was amusement in his voice, and a smile quirking his...teeth? Up.

You ended up getting him Salted Caramel ice cream, figuring that caramel tasted similarly enough to honey. You yourself got cookie dough, and walked back over to the table, treats in hand. Papyrus looked up expectantly as you set the desserts down on the table, sidling into the booth across from him. He reached forward, taking the cold glass into his hand, and grabbing a plastic spoon that was in a holder by the window. You did this, as well, before happily digging into your treat.

Papyrus sat there and watched you for a minute before shrugging and scooping up a spoonful of the ice cream, and then sticking it into his mouth. His expression turned contemplative as he sat there for a moment, undoubtedly letting it sit on a conjured tongue, before he swallowed and gave you a wide-eyed look. You gave him a smug one in turn as he begun digging into the ice cream; you knew that he wouldn't have a hyper sugary reaction like his brother did (thank God; you loved the Blueberry to pieces, but the amount of hyper he was capable of getting could be quite exhausting at times), he still ate the treat with enthusiasm, and finished while you still had half of yours in your cup, preferring to savor it. You were immune to brain freeze, having never experienced it before, but you were in no rush. "Like your treat, bone boy?" You joked, and Papyrus only stuck out his tongue in response, before grumbling a reluctant "yes." You chuckled with triumphant victory, a smile curling on your lips and staying there as you finished off your dessert.

You were glad that you had been able to convince Papyrus to come here; at times, he could be incredibly stubborn. But you were also very persistent, and the two traits often mixed well together. You asked him if he wanted to come back again in the future, and he hardly seemed to process what he was saying until after it had come out of his mouth--a hasty yes.

Now the question: bring Sans here too, or keep the place a secret?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I want some ice cream, too...


	10. Colds (Reader, Papyrus)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Reader gets sick with the cold, so Papyrus does all he can to nurse them back to health!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Day 10 - Colds  
> Characters: Reader, Papyrus
> 
> Almost there...hrk. 1/3rd of the way. Heh.

When you woke up one morning with a seemingly random cold, you were kind of surprised.

It wasn't very often that you got sick. Maybe once or twice a year, with a few feigns in-between. It wasn't even really that bad. Just the occasional cough, some sniffles, a stuffy nose, and a congested throat. It wasn't even sore! You could almost pass it off for allergies, if you didn't know better. But Papyrus didn't know this, of course, and when he saw you laying in bed much later than usual (you were pretty good about being punctual out of bed like he was, save for on the weekends; then there were times you slept in even later than Sans) and utterly refusing to get up, he knew something was wrong. But he didn't know what, and it freaked him out. So now you, your poor sick self, had to deal with calming down a frantic Papyrus that was thoroughly convinced you had somehow acquired some sort of "lethal Human disease".

"It's okay, Papyrus. I'm not going to die." You said, your voice nasally and stuffy as you lifted placating hands in his direction. Papyrus stood over your bed, cheek bones flushed and equally orange tears beading at the corners of his eye sockets as he looked down at you in a fretful manner. He sniffed, somehow, despite lacking in a nose, before wiping his face. It wasn't often that Papyrus cried, and typically it broke your heart. And though you felt a bit bad, you couldn't help the budding amusement as he exclaimed a great "nyoo hoo hoo", the verbal exclamation of his sorrow something you found helplessly amusing. You might have even allowed a slight laugh at his expense (look at you, so mean) if you hadn't figured it would be interrupted by a coughing fit. "I don't even have the flu. It's just a little cold, that's all."

"A cold?" Papyrus asked, and you went on to explain to the best of your knowledge (whilst also dumbing it down for him to the best of your ability. You'd never really cared to learn extensively about pathogens in school, after all) how colds were different from the flu, and how it costed almost no casualties unless it was in babies or elderly Humans. This seemed to reassure him, once you explained to him that you were about a quarter of the way through your life, though that was assuming you lasted to the average age.

"Human life spans are so short!" Papyrus exclaimed, and you were glad for the change of topic, taking the opportunity so that you could keep those tears out of his eye sockets. Talking was rather unpleasant, but if it meant seeing that smile on Papyrus' face again, you would talk his skull off all day long.

"Yeah, our lives are pretty short in comparison to a Monster's, huh?" You agreed, humming. "Typically pretty boring, too. I think me falling into the Underground is the most eventful thing that's happened my entire life, if I'm honest." There were some close seconds, but there was never anything more interesting and different than meeting an entirely unknown race of creatures under a mountain. You had at first, in fact, thought it to be a dream. It quite resembled Alice in Wonderland, after all, falling into a deep hole into the Earth and meeting strange creatures in a strange place.

"What can I do to help you recover from your cold, Human?" Papyrus asked, wringing his gloved hands as he looked at you expectantly. You thought for a minute before replying. "Maybe some hot food, and some tea? That usually makes me feel better." You much preferred cold tea over warm, but after having Golden Flower Tea, you figured you could probably never go back. It was so rejuvenating. The skeleton nodded so vigorously you worried his skull might tumble from his shoulders before he flew out of the room, dedicated to finishing his task. You chuckled and shook your head, before tugging your covers back over yourself and sighing. The skeleton brothers were so great, honestly, and Papyrus was such a sweetheart. You knew that he wasn't always so happy as he acted, but you appreciated his constant effort at enthusiasm, it extremely helpful in helping you through your own issues. He knew when to be serious and when to lose the loud voice, and was overall a beacon of light in your life. If there was one thing you liked about having fallen into the Underground, it was that. It was likely that sometime soon you would have to continue onward--you did have something to live for on the Surface, and that was your friends and sister. But you didn't intend to leave without Monsterkind following behind you.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fun fact: Papyrus has never actually tasted spaghetti. He makes it because he thinks that everyone else loves it. His favorite food is, in fact, dragon egg oatmeal.  
> Just throwing that out there so I can look like an A+, bone-a-fide Undertale fan, haha. B)


	11. Brothers (Reader, Sans, Papyrus)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You pride yourself on being able to calm down people, regardless of almost any situation.  
> But sometimes, only a good brother can be the person to bring your friend back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Day 11 - Brothers  
> Characters: Reader, Sans, Papyrus, Gaster (implied)

When Sans had first learned from you that his name and Papyrus' were both based off of fonts, he had not believed you.

Of course, Monsters had been around since long before any sort of technology was so much as a thought. Somehow Sans and Papyrus had to have gotten those names, and you figured something hinting at it must have fallen underground and given whoever had parented them the idea. But the mysterious part was how Sans never talked about their parents, nor did Papyrus have any memory of parents. This you found oddly strange, but you respected their privacy.

But Sans had still been curious about your claim, and wouldn't let up until you'd sat him in front of your laptop, opened up in a word document. You sat next to him and typed a couple sentences, one in Comic Sans, and the other In Papyrus. He had been completely blown away by this, and decided to start fiddling with the other fonts. He was entertained by it for awhile, interestingly enough, as you had never taken Sans as the type to be easily fascinated by such simple things, let alone for so long. Then again, this was technology that you had been around all your life; it was normal for you, and must be groundbreaking for him. You just hoped that he wouldn't end up having an existential crisis. At the very least, he might have a whole new arsenal of puns at the ready after skimming through each and every single typeface.

But while you'd been laying back on the bed, listening to Sans takking away on your keyboard, you noticed how he had suddenly stopped. Sitting up, you followed his gaze, to see that the mouse cursor was hovering over a certain font. Wingdings. He had gone completely still, eye sockets frightening black voids, and you didn't really know what it meant. When you hesitatingly put a hand on his shoulder, you could barely get his name out before a flip switched, and Sans was having another panic attack. He burst with a wave of magical energy and begun sobbing uncontrollably, and the sheer, unadulterated agony in his banshee shriek had your breathing picking up, heart thudding and SOUL aching with confusion and desire to help. You fell to your knees beside him, trying to help the skeleton but knowing better than to touch him when his bones radiated with such raw power. He wouldn't hesitate to hurt you when he was in his own world like this.

"Sans!" You exclaimed, kneeling over him, hands hovering. "Sans, come back to me! Please! What's wrong?" But he just kept on screaming, and you tried slamming the laptop shut, hiding the cursed font from his view, even if he wasn't here with you right now. It did absolutely nothing, and you were beginning to panic in your helplessness.

You knew what you had to do.

"PAPYRUS!" You exclaimed at the top of your lungs, but there was already loud thumping up the stairs, and the door to the bedroom flung open so fast and hard that it knocked into the wall, door stopper be damned, before Papyrus paused in the doorway to take in the situation. "Human! What is wrong with my brother?" Papyrus asked, voice rising over the agonized wails of Sans as you stumbled to your feet, rushing over to the taller skeleton and glancing back at Sans. "I don't know! He just saw one of the fonts on my laptop, and freaked out! I-I don't know what to do!" Papyrus paused before his expression darkened, turning more serious than you had ever seen it. He gently ushered you aside, and you stood there awkwardly in the doorway as Papyrus stiffly made his way over to his older brother, kneeling at his side. There was a soft ping, and Sans went deathly still, sternum heaving and thick blue tears streaming uncontrollably down from his sockets. He twitched with the urge to writhe in pain, but Papyrus' sudden grip on his SOUL with his blue gravity magic forbade it.

"Sans, you need to listen to me." Papyrus said, tone stern, and Sans instinctively reacted to the voice, though he was still breathing heavily. Somehow, he was listening. You were in awe as Papyrus gently brought the other skeleton back. "Whatever it is that hurt you, you're not there now. It's not there with you. You're on the Surface, with me and the Human. You are safe in your bedroom." He continued to repeat the same words over and over until they begun to sink in, and Sans' intense magical aura begun to falter. You still had a hard time believing that Sans caged so much raw strength, even though you've seen his magic flare in panic attacks numerous times before. Being so lazy, he ought to be bouncing off the walls with it all pent up like that. But that wasn't important right now.

It's a slow process, and your feet are kind of tired by the time it's over. But all that once, it's like a string is cut and Sans is collapsing limp into the carpet, and just as quickly the short skeleton is wrapped up in the taller's arms, being held close. They're wrapped around each other like they'd been physically tied together, bones clicking into place like glue. Like two halves of a whole. You wanted to understand the true depth of their relationship, but figured that you never would. So instead you settled for gratefulness that Sans had finally returned, even if he was apologizing profusely and sobbing as he was wracked with the aftershocks of exerting so much energy. It was a miracle the house hadn't caved on itself, and you figured he must be exhausted.

Papyrus reached the same conclusion, arms shifting so that they could lift Sans off the ground, gently easing him into the bed and tucking him in. Sans looked forlornly after Papyrus as he backed up, observing his work. You found the sight bittersweet, before realizing that you felt like you were intruding on something private. Quick, like a fox, you slipped in and snatched the laptop before leaving the room. You jogged on silent feet down the stairs before sitting on the green sofa in their living room, opening the laptop. You saw that Sans had written something strange in the font, but...how? He hadn't even clicked it before it set him off. But the words were there, and what they said would haunt you for a long time. You don't even know why--they weren't even that terrifying, once you ran it through another font to translate it into English. But it gave you a bad feeling.

**THE DARKNESS IS ALL-CONSUMING. MADNESS DRAWS NEAR. MY TIME IS SHORT.**

You uninstalled the font.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I tried to keep Sans' and Gaster's relationship with each-other as ambiguous as possible. I didn't lean on Gaster being a bad person, or a good person, though I _did_ imply that Sans and Papyrus are clones. Otherwise it's completely up to interpretation. : >


	12. Cuddling (Underswap Sans and Papyrus)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When the power goes out in Snowdin, things can get really cold pretty quickly (not that the skelebros could feel it anyways).  
> What better way to stay warm than cuddle with the person you know best?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Day 12 - Cuddling  
> Characters: Underswap Sans, Underswap Papyrus
> 
> Oh my everloving God. My procrastination streak is going to plunge my head onto a pike. I have to crank out 12 chapters today in order to be caught up for tomorrow.
> 
> I sincerely apologize for any people subscribing to me, lol. You're gonna get a lot of emails.

It was Tuesday.

Every Tuesday after work, Sans and Papyrus made a routine of gathering in the living room and doing something together. Be it making a puzzle, watching television, or just talking with one another. In this case, they were huddled on the couch, watching TV with a blanket thrown over them. Napstabot was rocking out on the television (well, maybe that was a bit of an overstatement), working the DJ Table and playing music he mixed himself. Papyrus would like him, really, he would. The guy had some good music. But his ego had to be as big as the mountain they were stuck under.

They were just beginning to drag a little pink ghost onto the stage when, with a brief static noise, the television and all other lights in the house simultaneously shut off. In the new, all-encompassing silence, the two skeleton brothers could hear the howling of the snow outside. Sans and Papyrus both hopped up, wandering over to the nearest window and drawing the curtain to the side. Their window was being slowly consumed by frost, obscuring their view, but even in the darkness they could still see the snow falling at a rapid pace onto the ground. If the rapid, unforgiving snowfall wasn't responsible, then the cold temperatures definitely were. Their antennae likely froze over, or got disrupted. It was no loss to Papyrus, but Sans looked disappointed.

"Now we're going to miss the show," Sans pouted, looking forlornly over at the now black screen. The room was completely dark, Sans' blue pupils the only thing illuminating the space around them. "And it's getting chilly!" Papyrus raised a brow bone as the skeleton pitched himself over the arm of the sofa, doing a somersault and then wrapping himself up in the couch blanket. Papyrus ambled back over to sit beside him. "But bro, you can't feel the cold." He remarked, only to get a reprimanding cuff across the shoulder. It hadn't hurt--rather, it brought a fond smile to Papyrus' face as the other threw half of the thick blanket over his shoulder to share before snuggling deep into his side. Like a cat he forced his way in, even going so far as to grab Papyrus' arm and fling it over his shoulder. It was clear he wouldn't take no for an answers when it came to snuggles tonight, and who was Papyrus to say no?

"Warm enough, bro?" Papyrus snickered, and Sans scoffed back up at him, choosing to say nothing. They sat there in the darkness for a couple minutes. Papyrus quickly grew bored, though he was enjoying the warmth that their two SOULs generated while being sheltered under the heat-trapping covers. They may not be sensitive to outside temperatures, but the warmth flooding both of their bones was coming from content in their SOULs, two halves close together, as should be.

At some point they had shifted into a laying position, Papyrus laying back on the couch while Sans curled up half on his chest, half on the sofa cushions, blankets still draped over the two of them. Papyrus had his arms resting on Sans' back while the short skeleton rested his head on Papyrus' sternum. It only got warmer, with their chests even closer than before, and Papyrus hasn't felt this pleasant in a long time. It was nice to be allowed to slow down, when Sans wasn't constantly rushing around to do this and that, and just take the time to be together. And it seemed that Sans agreed, because soon the skeleton was fast asleep on top of him--impressive considering his overly active mind, and the fact that even Papyrus hadn't quite dozed off yet.

He took a moment to appreciate his sleeping brother. Sans didn't know it (though he often spoke of how Papyrus would be helpless without him), but he had acted as a serious emotional crutch over the years, and the taller skeleton couldn't ever be more grateful. He held the smaller just a bit tighter to his frame as a combination of his warm comfort, the darkness, and his perpetual sleepiness factored into him dozing off, eye sockets falling shut and dozing off only mere minutes later.

The power was back on by morning.


	13. Pillow Forts (Underswap Sans and Papyrus, Underfell Sans)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Underswap Sans realizes Underfell Sans has never built a pillow fort before, and introduces him to it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Day 13 - Pillow Forts  
> Characters: Underswap Sans (Blue), Underfell Sans (Red), Underswap Papyrus

When Red came home from work to see that Blue was situating chairs at seemingly random intervals around the room and throwing pillows from all over the house onto the floor, right in the middle of the living room, he was confused.

Blue called it a pillow fort.

Red called it a disaster.

"What's the point?" Red growled as he watched the other throw a blanket over the chairs in the room, creating a roof. He secured them to the chairs--so they wouldn't slip off; fabric didn't stick to wood well, of course--using the weight of various objects, such as books. "You just have to clean it up afterwards. Besides; it looks stupid."

Blue looked positively affronted, like Red had personally insulted him. The excited stars in his eyes faded to simple baby blue pupils, and Red was actually _scared_ when Blue leveled him with a glare. The guy may be a cutesy fuzzball for being a bag of bones like the rest of the skeletons in the house, but when he got upset--a virtually impossible thing to do--it was like the world was ending. But just as quickly as Blue had made the face, it was gone, and Red realized he was breathing a bit heavily as the slightly shorter skeleton went on a tangent. 

"Well, Red, if you must know!" Blue exclaimed, stars back in his sockets as he spoke like a parent lecturing a child. "Pillow forts are simply the best thing ever! They're creative--like a puzzle!--and warm, are best spent with friends, and are never the same twice!" He threw his hands in the air, and then leaped into action when one of the blankets sagged from it's less-than-taut state, fiddling with it until it was back to his standards. Red watched wordlessly as Blue tinkered with it for some time, and when prompted, even pitches in here and there. Hands off a blanket to make the inside darker, or passes off some estranged object or another to "secure the rigging, mweh heh heh!"

After some time, it's finally done. And aside from being atrociously asymmetrical, Red actually has to admit that it looks pretty cool. The thing spanned the entire living room, using the sofa and all the chairs, before spanning halfway across the room, almost to the television. Blue had actually tied some knots in the blankets here and there, and he was pretty sure there was some magic holding some of the blankets up, but it still looked pretty cool, for being such a mundane thing. By the time Red had blinked out of his reverie, Blue was nowhere to be seen.

"Uh...Blue? Where'd you go?" Red asked, when suddenly a blob leapt out of the pillow fort, grabbing onto his shoulders and dragging him down. "Hey--!" He exclaimed, cut off by the raucous laughter of his counterpart as the other dragged him to the floor. "Come inside with me, Red!" Blue exclaimed, tone full of glee. Red was flushed in the face and sweating somewhat in anxiety, but relaxed a bit once the initial surprise was over, rolling his eyes before climbing inside.

It was actually...really spacious inside the pillow fort, aside from the occasional "pillar" holding the thing up. He winced when he accidentally knocked a tender bone on one of the legs of a chair, but pushed on easily enough until he was situated in the middle of the place, ducking his head so it didn't mess with the blanket roof over their heads. Red realized that Blue had somehow, at some point, gotten several additional pillows and blankets in here, for them to lay more comfortably on the carpet. In addition, there were a couple of water bottles and snack bowls situated about. Red was in complete awe as he sat next to the small pile of things, looking over at Blue's smile to see that it looked...cheeky.

"Pretty awesome, right?" Blue beamed, and Red couldn't help but nod as he continued looking around, simultaneously dipping a hand into one of the snack bowls and observing whatever it was he had grabbed. It was some sort of candy he had never seen before.

They ended up sitting together at the very base of their (well, mostly Blue's) creation, watching television together and pressed shoulder-to shoulder as they munched whatever was in the bowls and occasionally sipped at their bottles of water. At some point Papyrus had come home and made himself comfortable in their space. Initially Red had growled, a bit territorial, but after Papyrus asserted his presence, they all sat there for awhile and "enjoyed" whatever was being aired, for hours, until the channel had nothing to air except for old re-runs.

Red was perfectly content there, squeezed between the two swap brothers like this.


	14. Leaf Piles (Reader, Reapertale Sans)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Reader and Reapertale Sans decide to enjoy the crisp Autumn air.  
> 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Day 14 - Leaf Piles  
> Characters: Reader, Reapertale Sans
> 
> So if you haven't figured it out already, I'm probably not gonna write any Undertale characters other than skeletons. I'm also trying to make some chapters where reader isn't involved, for those people that don't like reader inserts. But I didn't really know who else to put here for this one, and I needed to get out of Underswap and Underfell territory.

"C'mon Sans, it's just a little cold. I thought you said the cold goes right through you?"

You were trying to ease Sans out of the house and into the crisp autumn air. It was Monsterkind's first Autumn on the surface, and you wanted to make a good impression for your skeleton friend's first experience. There had been a good gust of wind the night before, and it left many leaves from the trees on the ground. You had, of course, brewed the perfect plan in your mind.

"What exactly are you planning?" Sans asked as he walked outside, taking to floating slightly once he realized that the ground below his bare feet was cold. Though you found it odd, he seemed to appreciate the Humans' idea of building sidewalks almost everywhere, as his feet did not turn plant life black wherever he went, having the option to walk on concrete or asphalt instead. You had a concrete pathway in your backyard...as well as a couple of trees.

"I wanna make a leaf pile with you," you told him, and Sans blinked in confusion.

"A what?" He asked.

"A leaf pile." You re-iterated, smiling at the skeleton, but also feeling a bit bad that he didn't even know what you were talking about. Figures that almost the only types of trees you'd find underground would be pine, which never lost their needles.

Before he could ask, you explain. "You basically gather up a whole bunch of leaves into a pile. Sometimes people just do it to keep the yard clean, but others like to jump in them." You said, scooping up an armful near the base of one of your trees. "C'mon, Sans. Humor me?" You smiled at him, and the skeleton looked reluctant, but eventually gave in to your expression and came over. At first, he hesitated, not wanting to drain the life of the leaves with his touch. You sighed and dropped the leaves you were holding into a slowly accumulating pile, grabbing a single one and walking over before gently placing it in his hand, careful to not touch him yourself. You couldn't possibly imagine how lonely he must be, living like that. As expected, the browned leaf did little; what little life was left melted away from it, but it still maintained it's brown hue.

"The chlorophyll is what keeps them alive," you explained, "and in the Fall, that stuff leaves. It's not totally dead, but it's dying. So your touch shouldn't do much to it. Plus, the leaves pretty much just decompose in the Winter anyways, so you wouldn't be doing any permanent damage by touching them." Seeming reassured by your words, Sans resumed his efforts at gathering the leaves, putting them in a pile. You assisted, and soon, you had put together a pretty good pile.

"Now's the fun part," you told him, a smile on your face that he couldn't help but stare at--not a lot of things made you smile like that. You looked...at ease. Like doing things with him was some sort of therapy. And, well, it kind of was. "We leap into the pile. Are you ready?" Sans paused momentarily, then nodded. "Okay, on the count of three...one, two...three!"

You both leaped into the pile, Sans cutting off his gravity magic to flop with you. The leaves lost their fluffy look immediately, buckling under your joined weight, and even with skin the feel of solid ground knocking against your bones is unpleasant. A groan from both you and Sans fills the backyard air as you roll over onto your stomachs, regretting your life choices in the form of incredible soreness in your back. "Oh... _ow._ Wow. That hurts." You grumbled, rolling over again, to come face to face with Sans.

The two of you stared at each other for a moment, taking in your wounded facial expressions. Then you both busted into laughter, the kind that you have to take ragged breaths because it steals all the air from you. "H-holy shit, why didn't I know that would happen," you breathed, tears beading at the corners of your eyes. "That was freaking _stupid,_ oh my God. Leaves can't bear our weight." You snickered and sat up, looking down at Sans, whom was still laying down and looking up at you in awe. "It's like Winnie the Pooh and his honey. It's a lot less delicious than it looks." Sans' amused expression turned confused, and you blinked owlishly at him.

"Oh my God. You've never seen Winnie the Pooh."

"Uh...no?"

"We must remedy this immediately!"


	15. Crybaby (Sans and Gaster)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gaster is freed from the Void--a dark place full of nothing but terror and a harbinger of your worst nightmares.  
> He's a goopy mess, and it's gonna take some effort to piece him back together (sometimes quite literally). But surely the skeleton brothers are willing to do what it takes to put him back together.
> 
> (Takes place in Sans' POV!)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Day 15 - Crybaby  
> Characters: Sans, Papyrus (mentioned), Gaster, Frisk (mentioned)
> 
> OKAY SO I DIDN'T HAVE THE ENERGY TO POST ALL THOSE CHAPTERS YESTERDAY.  
> BUT TODAY, I DON'T REALLY HAVE A CHOICE.  
> SO I GET TO WRITE 10 CHAPTERS, STARTING AT 9:00 PM. LET'S SEE HOW LATE I'LL BE UP.
> 
> (I've set a goal for myself at the very beginning that on my laptop, my chapters have to be long enough that I at least have to scroll a little bit to get from the first sentence to the last, so I can't just be lazy and pull a couple hundred words. I might be here for awhile, even typing at 102 WPM.)

You don't know how the kid did it, but it was impossible to deny the identity of the Monster that stood before you, wringing his disembodied hands and smiling a nervous smile.

Doctor Wingdings Gaster. Also you and Papyrus' father.

You won't go into the exact details of that relationship, but simply put, the guy wasn't supposed to be here. Not after the accident in the CORE. Not after Sans hung up his labcoat and walked out of the realm of science for what he figured would be forever.

But here he was, standing right before you. Less stable than before, but none-the-less corporeal and visible to the naked eye. Frisk had, somehow, channeled sheer DETERMINATION to bring back the dead Monsters and those lost in the in-between. Asriel, Chara, Gaster...the other Humans were too complex to SAVE, but Asriel and Gaster hardly did a dent to their energy, and Chara was similar enough that they were able to do some of the work, too.

It was confusing, but you weren't about to question it. You were a bit wary of the ex-deceased Children of Hope, and Chara seemed to be particularly nervous around you--Asriel just apologizing profusely in private for the grief in the timelines he caused back when he was a flower--but when Gaster arrived...it was earth-shattering, and turned your world upside-down. He was a mess, but you knew it was him. His hands jerked as he spoke in his own unique language, a tongue that only you still remembered. You got to reintroduce him to Papyrus, whom had both been too young at the time to remember him, and would have had his memories wiped by time shenanigans anyways.

The man was a mess--both physically and emotionally. He tended to teleport when someone startled him, making sudden movements or sounds without warning him first. He acted like a self-sustaining tar pit and Amalgamate's lovechild, melting into a little black and white puddle whenever he got nervous, sad, or scared. The kid had even taken to calling him 'Goopy'. You could tell that the ex-royal scientist was fond of the child that had rescued him from his terrible fate, but he looked only more sad whenever the kid called him such.

One day, Gaster came to you. Asking you if you could help him.

"Sure, G. What's up?" You asked, looking up at the semi-solid skeleton, whom had approached you at the height you remembered him to be pre-accident, but slowly declined and sunk into himself as he made his proposal, going from tall and slim to short and...puddle-y?

 **Sans...do you think you could help me...** he hesitated. **Be less timid? I am but a shadow of the Monster I used to be, and I wish to remedy that.**

You wanted to tell your father that you didn't exactly handle your own baggage in the most healthy of ways. But maybe if you roped Papyrus into this, you both could heal together. A little Papyrus Therapy goes a long way, after all. It had kept Sans going throughout the loops.

"Sure, G. Anything for you." You smiled warmly at the other. Gaster smiled shakily back, confidence apparently temporarily restored before it faltered again. You remembered the days when Gaster's sockets would light up as he made a revelation or was pleased by something found that he failed to notice. You wanted to bring that light back to him, no matter how long that might take.

Yeah. You could totally do this.

You think that you are filled with...DETERMINATION.


	16. Grief (Monster!Reader, Flowerfell Sans)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You notice that Sans is headed back to the Underground. You follow him, to see that he's returned to sit in front of the fallen Human's headstone and talk to it all day. Just how often does he do this, exactly?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Day 16 - Grief  
> Characters: Monster!Reader, Flowerfell Sans, Frisk (mentioned)

It was thanks to the Fallen Human, Frisk, that Monsterkind now peacefully (well, as peacefully as they could manage at least) roamed the Surface. Covered in beautiful and yet damning golden flowers that adorned no other Humans above, they successfully pacified even the most closed off and aggressive of Monsters--including yourself.

According to Sans, you'd killed them about twenty times before they got through to you.

You didn't know what had them so determined--but Sans had gotten some decals put up in his room in his house. You'd only been in there once before, but apparently it was some quote that the Human had said, over and over, whenever he asked them why they were so Determined to SAVE everybody. 'Sometimes, kindness is all we can give. Sometimes, kindness is enough.' It said, and for a long time, even while on the Surface, you didn't really get what it meant. Why be so kind, even when people hurt you?

One day you're sitting outside, sun bathing as it were, when you saw your skeletal neighbor step outside and start down the street. He rarely emerged from his house--mostly remained holed up, not caring to interact with anybody. The usual defensive scowl that typically accompanied him was absent, instead a more tired grimace as he shoved his hands into his pockets as if they had personally offended him before walking away. Curious, you decide to follow. Sans could act like a widowed old man sometimes, bitter and grumpy. Though you supposed in a way, he was.

Rumor had it he had fallen in love with the Human, infatuated with their almost altruistic perspective, and yet their unending drive to show everyone else what they saw. All of Monsterkind mourned their death, but you get the feeling he was the only one that had never gotten over it. He, after all, had been around them the most throughout their adventure.

As you followed Sans, you evaluated your own relationship with him. He detested you for the sheer amount of times you had killed the Human, and though he physically recoiled whenever you pointed it out, you knew he knew that you knew he had killed them before, too. He told you at some point what the flowers had meant--it was a death toll, the yellow flowers gorgeous but deadly like poison lipstick on a seductive maiden. He looked like he'd been punched whenever he saw even the color yellow. It was absent from his house, and his blinds almost constantly shut out the sun--something that most of the rest of Monsterkind delighted in being under as often as possible.

He ends up leading you a long way--out of the city, into the outskirts, and then into the woods beyond. The trek is several hours long, and if you weren't used to traveling for long periods of time, you might have gotten too tired to continue tailing him. But the guy walked along as if he had blazed his own trail by memory, tirelessly making his way. He ends up leading you back to the mountain, hiking it with little difficulty. You hang back for even longer at this point, worried that if you slipped up, he would hear you, and probably use his magic to knock you off the edge of the cliff or something.

Left fairly ragged afterwards, you finally make it to the top, watching as Sans disappeared back Underground. What--was he just sentimental, and wanting to see his old house or something? Most Monsters had left the Underground completely by this point--hating the place for bad memories it brought, and fanning out wherever they could go to be as far as possible from past prejudices and threats. And really, you couldn't blame them for making that decision as soon as the Human governments would allow it.

So what was Sans doing here?

You followed him all the way through the Underground, which takes another several hours, and you're certain that it's well after dark by this point. The sun had already been mostly set when you had started climbing--a dangerous thing that you never planned on repeating. Hiking in the dark was just asking for a bad time, really, and your eyesight never really had been the best.

By the time he's in Snowdin, heading past his house and in the direction of the RUINS, you think you finally have an idea of where it is he's going. He's going to see the fallen Human's burial spot. Frowning, you continue to tail him, until you're left at the very beginning, where Frisk first fell. Clean of flowers and presumably innocent to the cruelties of the world.

You consider whether or not it would be okay to still tail him. You came, and now you knew what he was doing. You could go home now, curiosity appeased. It was rude of you to follow without asking in the first place. But a part of you was still dissatisfied and curious--wanting to know just exactly what it was Sans came to the grave for. Surely if it was just for a brief visit he wouldn't spend the entire afternoon and evening tirelessly wandering wild terrain and hiking cliffs, right?

Ending the war with yourself, you decide to continue following him. Carefully and quietly you slip through the RUINS door, following him to the dead end, where the other entrance to the Underground was. Sans was already seated when you emerge in the first room, knees folded underneath him and head bowed as he murmured words to himself. Chancing another step forward, you strain to hear what it is he's saying--

"Knock knock." A pause.

"Flower." There's emotion in his voice. Your SOUL clenches in your chest.

"Flower you today? Heh..." It's an empty laugh, and you clumsily stumble a bit when you slide a bit too far away from the wall, having been leaning most of your weight on it. Sans perks up immediately, and before you can even think, you're being slammed face-first into the ground, SOUL glowing brightly in your chest and Sans' left hand glowing much like the same-side's eye, a bright and angered red. He stood up, turning to see who had followed him, and it takes him a moment to recognize you. A bit of the tenseness leaves his shoulders.

"What the _fuck_ are you doing here?" He snaps, and you fight for a moment to lift your head and spit out gritty dirt and pebbles to speak. "I was curious. I'm sorry for invading your privacy," you apologized, no hesitation in your voice whatsoever, which seems to briefly take the skeleton off guard. He growls and releases his magical grip on you, the tenseness leaving your form as he turns away and sits down on the flower patch again, resuming his mourning. "Just go home. You shouldn't be here." He said, and you made a noise of affirmation, agreeing. No, you shouldn't be here. You never should have followed him in the first place.

But that doesn't mean you leave. You linger for a few minutes, just watching Sans' back. He sits there, tense, knowing of your continued presence but saying nothing about it.

You walk over to him.

You kneel.

And press a gentle hand to his shoulder.

"You loved them, didn't you?" You murmur, and Sans goes rigid under your touch, knowing that it wasn't a question, even if it was phrased like one. And suddenly he goes lax, nodding once and grunting to confirm your being right.

"...Yeah," he says, and you sigh, before taking a seat next to him. He looks over at you in confusion, and maybe mild irritation. But you're not looking at him. You stare intently at the headstone in front of you, surrounded by beautiful golden flowers and bathed in equally golden light.

"I guess I never really thanked you personally before," you spoke, and at first Sans is confused, thinking you're talking to him. But you haven't looked up from the headstone in front of you. "For freeing us, I mean. You sacrificed so much to be kind, and now we're on the surface. But you get to be stuck down here forever, never to see the surface world again." You raise a hand, leaning towards the headstone, and you hear a soft growl to your side, coming from Sans. You flinch, hesitating, before deciding to go with it and resting your palm on the cool stone. Sans' growling sharply cuts off. His eyes narrow in suspicion and curiosity, but you're still not looking at him. "So...thank you. For showing us the way, and saving us." You sigh. "I can take care of Sans, now. I feel like this isn't the first time he's done this, and...I'm sure you don't want to see him sad forever." You close your eyes, breathing a soft sigh. "Us Monsters live for a long time...maybe we can use that time to teach ourselves a thing or two, so nobody has to die at our hands ever again."

You finally look over at Sans, a solemn smile on your face, and the skeleton appears awestruck. You wither under the intensity of his gaze, unused to such attention from the usually apathetic Monster. "...Sans?" You say tentatively, wondering if you'd somehow managed to break him.

He simply wordlessly stands up, starting back out of the room. You're frozen in place for a moment before you scrabble to your feet, attempting to keep pace.

"S-Sans, wait for me!"

You now understood the meaning of the words in Sans' bedroom.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think this is probably my longest chapter yet, wtf.
> 
> Like, I got the idea, and started typing...and just got super carried away. Hehe.
> 
> That being said, probably my most favorite chapter yet!!


	17. Cooking (Reader, Papyrus)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Reader and Papyrus decide to try and cook together. Thing is, neither of them can cook worth a damn.  
> But they still try anyways, and it tastes awful, but they have fun anyways.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Day 17 - Cooking  
> Characters: Reader, Papyrus

"But Papyrus, I have literally no idea how to cook." You bemoaned as the skeleton lifted you, doing a barrel roll from the living room into the kitchen. You don't know how to do it, but you also know better at this point than to question logic when it came to the skeleton brothers in general.

"It's easy, Human! I will have to teach you! You will have it down in no time!" The tall skeleton insists, causing you to groan. You really didn't want to cook--you hadn't learned more than the necessity all throughout childhood, and you didn't really have any intention of starting now. But Papyrus was really hard to say no to--especially when Sans was in the room. The trickster and yourself clicked like BFF necklaces, really, but you knew that Papyrus held priority to him. Really, it wasn't much of a problem anyways, as hurting someone's feelings was something you never intended. He just...had a bit of a big brother complex, and you believed he needed to let Papyrus grow up himself some.

"Alright," you finally concede, and Papyrus looks absolutely delighted at your agreement, an apron being thrown in your face. You catch it with your body, hands reaching up to grip it and clumsily put it on. You weren't really looking forward to this--you've seen the way Papyrus cooks, overly passionate due to Undyne's own overzealous cooking methods. You just knew that this was going to be a disaster, but it was too late to back down now. All it was you could do at this point is make sure the guy didn't burn down the apartment--you didn't think that Sans was financially capable to move anywhere else, or pay for the damages done.

You end up making spaghetti, of course. Papyrus admits while furiously stirring the contents of his pot that he actually has never tried spaghetti himself, and tells you his favorite food. Dragon Egg Oatmeal--something you've never had, but tell him you'd be happy to try sometime. He seems delighted by this development, promising to get some stocked in the house just for you.

The spaghetti ends up absolutely awful--it's a big ball of mush when you drain the water, having been cooked too hot for too long, and really the only thing that could possibly save it was the sauce, which you'd taken it upon yourself to make, so that nothing mysterious would end up in it. The spaghetti tasted like eating a mouthful of wet flour, and again the sauce is the only thing that saves it as you force yourself to eat it. But you have to admit, you had some fun participating in the activity with Papyrus. You had no intention of following his "training" methods, not having the energy to be that passionate anyways (in this sense, you were more like Sans, which Papyrus detested but clearly still found endearing, to some extent). But you enjoyed yourself, and that was really all that mattered, right?

"Thank you for this, Papyrus," you say to the skeleton while you wash the dishes. Papyrus looks up at you from where he was seated at the table, inquisitive look on his face. "For doing this with me, I mean. I...I had fun." Papyrus positively beamed at your confession, shoving out of his seat and storming over to you to scoop you up in a bone-crushing hug. You drop the dish you'd been holding into the sink, it fortunately not breaking as you're swung around. In fact, you believe your chances of shattering into pieces was higher than that of the plate, as you wildly tap Papyrus' shoulder, lungs begging for MERCY. Papyrus quickly puts you down when he realizes that you were literally suffocating in his grasp, apologizing profusely. You simply wave him off, a smile on his face.

Papyrus was a dorky doofus, and it could be a bit exhausting sometimes. But it was also adorable, and you could understand how it often kept Sans going. You thought that he might be the guy that keeps you going, too. The thought of being able to rely on someone fills you with happiness.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Almost there...just...8 more?


	18. Birthday (Sans, Papyrus)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sans forgets that it's his Birthday.
> 
> It snows on his Birthday, and his little brother has every intention of making it the best Birthday yet, considering it's also their first on the Surface.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Day 18 - Birthday  
> Characters: Sans, Papyrus

Thanks to all of the loops and RESETs, it's pretty easy to lose track of time. Granted it's been awhile since the kid has drawn back to the beginning; at least eight months. But to Sans, time was fairly meaningless, and so today was like every other for him until he woke up to Papyrus making _pancakes,_ which Sans found incredibly bizarre. It was the middle of December, and he woke up to light snowfall. At first he was a bit panicky, until he had caught the sobering scent of food that wasn't spaghetti. He headed downstairs and saw that Papyrus was the culprit for the smell, and he was...actually cooking the way you're supposed to? The skeleton only paused to sweep Sans into a hug, exclaiming a joyous, "happy Birthday, brother!" Oh...that's right. He's been this age so many times before already, and he knew that in a way, depending on how you looked at it, he was already a lot older. But Papyrus couldn't know that.

"Oh...heh. I guess I forgot what day it was. Thanks, bro." Sans said, sounding suddenly tired. Papyrus scowled at him and then chuckled and lightly chided his forgetfulness before flipping a pancake onto a plate, handing it to the smaller skeleton. Sans accepted it easily, retrieving a fork from the silverware drawer before making his way over to the table, sitting down and beginning to dig in. Papyrus joined him only a couple minutes later, plate full of his own choice amount of pancakes.

From there, Papyrus seemed determined to keep Sans out of the house for as long as possible. He dragged him this place and that, giving him little presents here and there, which the shorter found hard to accept. Papyrus was bathing him in affection, and the skeleton just didn't know what to do with all of it. His cheekbones flush blue as Papyrus handed him a deluxe bottle of ketchup he just paid for, commenting on how disgusting it was, but how if Sans likes it, he was happy to get it for him. He wasn't used to all of this kindness, even from his happy-go-lucky brother. But all he did was accept it--Papyrus looked even happier than usual, and Sans was just glad he seemed to be enjoying himself.

It really was among one of the best Birthdays Sans had ever had, and they wrap it up with some television until bed. Papyrus held Sans close, shorter skeleton enveloped in his arms as they watched whatever interested them on TV--namely game shows, like Wheel of Fortune, or comedy, like Whose Line Is It Anyway? taking up their evening. After all of the day's activity, Sans was perfectly satisfied with sitting there, enjoying this time with his baby brother.

Sans was almost asleep when he heard his brother speak up, tuning back in to reality. "Sorry, uh. Could you repeat that, Pap?" The skeleton asked, and Papyrus sighed softly before repeating himself. "You always look so sad and tired, Sans. Your smiles are fake, and you drag yourself about as if you carry the weight of the world. I hope that today has helped in at least somewhat alleviating the pressure for you...you deserve happiness, after trying so hard for me." Sans was speechless as the other skeleton spoke. He thought he'd done so well in hiding his emotions from the other; pretending it was alright. But perhaps, at some point, he had faltered. Waiting for the expected RESET to take them back to the beginning--not allowing himself to enjoy life's gifts for the most part. Of course Papyrus would catch on--he wasn't an idiot, and Sans never should have pretended he was.

"Yeah...this helped a lot, bro. Thanks." Sans murmured, not at first noticing the building up emotion that made his SOUL clench and his skull warm. He loved his brother so much--he was the most precious thing in the world. No, wait--he _was_ the world. At least in Sans' eyes. Papyrus quickly swept Sans into another hug, albeit more gentle and loving. Sans could feel the affection rolling off of the other in waves, and allowed himself to give off the same feeling. Usually he locked away his Intent, for his own mentality, but for the time being, his walls were completely down, at the MERCY of Papyrus.

And he wouldn't have it any other way.

"Happy Birthday, brother," Papyrus murmured into the curve of Sans' skull, and the skeleton in question is again jerked from his doze, blinking several times before replying.

"Thanks, Pap."


	19. Gaming (Reader, Sans, Papyrus)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You challenge Sans and Papyrus to a Mario Kart competition.
> 
> You like to consider yourself good at the game. Papyrus is...not so much. As for Sans? Well...he's just a dirty freaking cheater.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Day 19 - Gaming  
> Characters: Reader, Sans, Papyrus

The three of you have been playing Mario Kart for...awhile now.

You had challenged the skeleton brothers to a game of Mario Kart in a fit of boredom. You considered yourself to be pretty good at it, and wanted to see how you'd do against them. Of course they agreed, and so the three of you huddled on the couch in front of the television and selected your characters of choice.

You chose Link. Sans chose Drybones. Papyrus chose Luigi. For Papyrus' sake, you set the mode to 50cc. It was a bit too easy for you, but you didn't want the tall skeleton to feel left out, having a feeling that all of his motor skills was in physical activity, as opposed to video games. Sans, on the other hand...he was an enigma, and you had no idea how he'd do.

But by this point, after two hours of playing, you just knew that he had to be cheating somehow. Papyrus ran into walls or off cliffs now and again, and you cruised through the map, making smooth turns left and right. But somehow, Sans always ended up in first, and you in second. In addition, you were almost always bumper to bumper with each other. You finally demanded that he play someone else, wondering if he had somehow gone in and messed with Drybones' code. You also made it so he chose an entirely different cart. He had no problem agreeing to you, deciding to play Shyguy instead.

The same thing happened. You both rode each other's bumpers the entire time. You switched to Isabelle. Sans was completely relaxed, leaning back in his seat while he moved around. You were leaning forward, tense, and Papyrus was just enjoying himself, not making any sort of competition out of it. He was such a good sport, bless his SOUL.

"We're gonna have to play Unreal Tournament sometime," you grumble to the short skeleton as you come in second place _yet again._ "This is utter blasphemy." Sans just snickered at your grumpiness at this whole situation.

"It's no worry, Human! Sans just has some odd talents," Papyrus chimed happily. Oh, you great thing, having such faith in Sans. You only narrowed your eyes suspiciously at the short skeleton as he merely shrugs in response to you. "What can I say? At least I'm not a turtle." You pause for a moment to think about his words, before throwing your head back and groaning. _That was so incredibly forced. **Why.**_

"They're called Koopas, Sans." you bemoan, but Sans just shrugs again and laughs. You can't help but smile and laugh too, despite yourself. He had such a great laugh; it rumbled from deep in his bones, hearty and deep and pleasant, something that was so hard to find with him. You could never remain upset when either of the skeleton bros laughed in your presence--their mirth was contagious.

"I'll have to work on some Mario puns," Sans says once he calms down, and Papyrus grumbles about how Sans has no shame, and shouldn't ruin a perfectly good game with his puns. You, personally, love to pun yourself, and look forward to what Sans can come up with.

Maybe he's a dirty cheater, but at least he was a...fun guy.

You play as Toad next, and relay your joke to Sans. His reaction is utterly priceless.

Just for that, he lets you win that one race, playing fairly. You would be upset for him letting you win if you hadn't known that he was actually finally playing fairly. You didn't know how he was hacking the game, but the bit of mercy made the gameplay a bit more fun.


	20. Dancing (Frisk, Dancetale Sans)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's been years since Sans has danced in front of anybody. When Frisk catches him break-dancing in privacy, they're dazzled by his skills, and ask to dance with him. They don't plan to take no for an answer.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Day 20 - Dancing  
> Characters: Frisk, Dancetale Sans

Sans took a deep breath as he stood in a clearing in the Snowdin Forest. Slowly his legs spread out in the snow, tracing tracks in the cold whiteness. Eye sockets shut, he took a moment to let his mind go blank and listen for passerby before getting into the zone. He did a cart wheel onto his hands, twisting in the air and rolling on the ground, curving himself so that he rolled onto his knee, using just that to climb back to his feet. He shuffled swiftly from side-to-side, drawstrings on his coat fluttering this way and that, hood up to hide his face. It was easier to get in the mood when he wasn't as visible. Rolling his ankle, Sans pivoted on his foot and did some hand motions, then paused and opened his eyes, staring out into the trees.

There's the sound of bushes rustling, and Sans completely freezes. Someone was watching him dance. He looked around carefully, trying to see who it was. He sees a flash of pink from behind some nearby bushes. Using his magic he lifts them into the air, and out of the bushes comes Frisk, wearing their ballerina outfit as usual. Frisk had...been watching them? Why? They looked completely bedazzled, awestruck to a degree that caused Sans to begin sweating and flush a deep blue.

"K-kid, what're you doing here?" Sans asked, shrinking into his hoodie. Frisk lifted themselves to their feet, Sans' magical grip on their SOUL fading as they dusted themselves of any clinging snow. Lifting their hands, they begun signing quickly. 'I thought you said you couldn't dance?' They asked, and Sans frowned. He had told them when they met that he didn't know how to dance, and that despite it being a thing that 'most every Monster had a knack for, that he was an exception. He didn't want them to know that he was, in fact, one of the most talented dancers in the Underground, and was merely too shy to show it off. He picked at the ends of his fingerless gloves as they walked up to him, steps light and graceful; the snow hardly made a sound as they advanced on him. He shrunk back even more, taking a step.

Before he could teleport away and wallow in embarrassment in his room for a couple hours, they placed their hands on either of his shoulders. Sans jumped, looking the child in the face. Their expression was determined, and Sans begun sweating a bit more profusely. Hands releasing from his shoulders, Frisk signed three simple words.

'Dance with me?'

He hadn't been expecting the request--was taken completely off guard. He's never danced with anyone before, always having done it by himself in privacy, away from prying eyes. How would their styles even mix? One was an upbeat hip-hop style, and the other was slow and elegant. He only grew more nervous as he stood there, and Frisk's expression morphs from determined to concerned. 'Sans? Are you alright?' They ask, and the skeleton hesitates for a moment before nodding. "Sure thing, Kiddo. Just...never danced with anyone before, s'all." They smiled in understanding, reaching down and taking his hands in each of theirs. Thumbs massaging over his carpals, they spoke for the first time in his presence, voice but a whisper.

"You can do it...I know you can."

And so they danced. At first they were a bit awkward, their styles clashing horribly as they tripped over each other trying to find some sort of rhythm. But eventually it became less of trying to be graceful, and more about having fun. Sans would drop to the ground and Frisk would leap over them, doing a spin on the tips of their toes while he does a backflip right into their arms. They go at it until they're both out of breath and laughing, faces flushed from the cold and happiness at just enjoying themselves. There was no stress in what they were doing; only amusement and good times.

"Thanks for this, kiddo," Sans finally said between breaths, a genuine smile on his face. Frisk just shrugged and smiled back. 'It was no problem, Sans. You danced amazingly...we should do it again sometime.' He blushed at the compliment but then nodded, promising that they would.


	21. Piggyback Rides (Sans, Papyrus)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Half of the time Sans falls asleep, it's because he's genuinely tired.  
> But other times, it's because he secretly just likes to be carried around by his brother.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Day 21 - Piggyback Rides  
> Characters: Sans, Papyrus

It's not unusual to find Sans at his station. It was one of his jobs, after all. But it was almost just as common to find him snoozing at the spot, arms folded under his skull to protect his cranium from the cold wooden surface, eye sockets shut and expression more of peace than exhaustion and forced smiles.

Sans has narcolepsy, and so he can't help it. Plus the knowledge of the RESETs robbed him of sleep during the night, leaving him helpless to exhaustion during the day. But when it wasn't the work of his issues dragging him to the darkness of slumber, it's to the odd comfort of his little brother lifting him from his station after his shift is over, and carrying him back home.

Sans often recalled the days when Papyrus had been just a baby bones, carrying him around and giving all of the affection he felt the younger skeleton deserved and more. As he grew bigger, he became too tall and heavy for Sans to carry around. And so, once Papyrus was about a foot taller than Sans, their roles begun to shift. Papyrus would lift Sans into his arms, the shorter skeleton's arms thrown over his shoulders and legs curling around his torso, be that on the front or the back. At first it had been embarrassing for Sans, but he never truly fought it. And when Papyrus begun doing it more and more, he found that he had grown to like it, and sometimes deliberately 'fell asleep' just so he could feel the other skeleton's arms press underneath him and lift him from his chilled seat, large gloved hands resting over his skull and underneath his rump as he's scooped up into warm skeletal arms. It became a guilty pleasure of his.

Papyrus was such a happy skeleton, and it always felt nice to be close to the Monster's SOUL. A wave of calm washed over Sans whenever he was picked up, almost like some sort of anesthetic that numbed all of his pain and only brought soulful comfort. Sometimes Papyrus even walked around with him while he was awake, and at those times Sans simply couldn't stay awake. It was like being rocked in a cradle, and there was seldom anything more relaxing in the world. Sans was pretty sure that Papyrus did this because he had picked up on how relaxed he was around the taller brother. And, well, he couldn't exactly complain.

"I swear Sans, one of these days, you're just going to become permanently attached to me, with how often I have to carry you around!" Papyrus complained, but Sans could sense the smile in the skeleton's voice as he snuggled deeper into his battle body. "I don't think I'd mind that much, to be honest with ya, Bro." Sans replied in a sleepy slur, smiling into the other's crimson, somewhat tattered scarf. Papyrus sighed loudly, but said nothing more as he made his way into Snowdin, to their house.

The two skeleton brothers eventually make it home, Papyrus nudging the door closed with his hip before carrying Sans upstairs and into his room, settling him on his bed and tucking him in. Papyrus often complained about how tired Sans always was, but in reality, he knew that Sans slept, but never rested. He just wanted the other to actually benefit from his sleep for once, and smiled sadly as he gently pressed his hand against the other's skull, massaging the temple in a soothing manner. Sans had already crashed by the time they were in the house, and despite his unrest even when asleep, Sans always looked so much more relaxed when he was unconscious. Papyrus wished that he could see that on Sans' face more often. It seemed that even his own perpetually happy exterior wasn't the perfect antidote--just enough to keep the shorter skeleton going.

Papyrus allowed his smile to drop, briefly, as he backed away from Sans and started back out of the room. He tried so hard to be endlessly happy for Sans' sake, but sometimes it was such a struggle. "I just want you to be happy again, brother, like you used to be," Papyrus murmured to himself as he closed the bedroom door behind him with a quiet click.


	22. Sparring (Reader, Sans)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You hear from Frisk that Sans is actually secretly a really good fighter.  
> A bit pent up on energy and wanting to tussle, you ask Sans to spar with you.  
> You hadn't really been expecting him to accept.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Day 22 - Sparring  
> Characters: Reader, Sans, Frisk (mentioned)

You heard from Frisk that Sans was actually secretly a really good fighter. So, a bit pent up on energy and wanting to tussle, you ask him to show you what he's got.

To your surprise, he accepts.

The two of you go somewhere with a fair amount of space to duke it out. Sans pulls your SOUL into a confrontation. "Ya sure you wanna do this, kid?" Sans asked you, hands stuffed in his pockets and expression lazy. "I'm tellin' ya right now, I won't hold back." You nod in response, and Sans shrugs before, to your surprise, moving first.

You're a bit disappointed to find one measly little bone approaching you at a snail's pace, and look over at a Sans with an incredulous and unimpressed look on your face. You knew he was faking--Frisk wasn't one to exaggerate. He didn't think you could take it!

"Sans, I've sparred with Papyrus and Undyne before. I've gotten hit by attacks before. I'm not going to break if you get a little rough." You deadpanned, and Sans chuckled as his turn ended. You attempt to close the distance between the two of you, running forward and lunging to tackle him, when his spine curves and he shuffles out of the way. You stumble to regain your balance and turn around to face the skeleton again, jumping to try and get him again, but he just pivots on his foot, twisting out of the way. You attempt to grab his collar, but he just rolls his head back and folds nearly in half to dodge your move before suddenly disappearing. You whirl around to see he'd teleported behind you, taking his turn a bit more seriously now as several bones materialize and dart your way.

Fortunately your own dodging skills aren't half bad, and you manage to twist out of the way out of each of the bone attacks. But you knew he was still holding back his full power--he just kept dodging, and his bone attacks were...unimpressive. Which was weird saying, since magic in and of itself was typically amazing, being a new concept of reality to Humanity. You sigh and stand straight, taking your turn to speak to him. "Sans," you said, and the skeleton himself straightened at the sound of his name on your tongue.

"I know you're stronger than this," you tell him. "Frisk...Frisk told me some of the things you're capable of. I won't die if you use one of those dragon things on me, really. I promise." You smile at him. "I have thick skin." Sans frowned at your words, looking off to the side. He seemed bothered by the fact that Frisk had told you about his Gaster Blasters, and you wondered to yourself if that was the best idea. "Heh. Sorry, bud. Guess I'm just too much of a lazybones to put in my best effort, huh?" And suddenly Sans was standing in front of you, causing you to stumble back as he chose to SPARE you. You opt for MERCY, and the confrontation ends. Sans grabs you by either of your shoulders, leaning in close to your face. "Look, Kid," he speaks, expression serious. "I know you're a tough kid. You're also pretty damn fast, like me. I'm not doing this because I think you're weak--I just...fighting for me is a touchy subject, okay? I don't like to do it, or take it seriously. Even just for sparring." He looked at you, a heavy sorrow visible in his sockets, and you blinked as you realized you must be pushing a boundary of his.

Lifting your hands, you relax them over Sans' grasp on your shoulders, his warm bones soft against your own. "It's okay, Sans. I understand." You murmur, and the skeleton immediately deflates, clearly relieved. You smile at him. "I didn't mean to push your boundaries like that, Sans. I'm sorry." You say, and the skeleton just sighs, stepping back.

"But hey. Maybe we could just...wrestle?" You suggest. "Or, uh...nothing at all. Nothing is fine." Sans get a more amused glint in his eye, and you're relieved that he feels a bit happier after admitting his discomfort and looking so...haunted.

"Heh. You know me. I sure love doing absolutely nothing," Sans replied, and you chuckled at him as he winked his right eye at you. "But sure, why not. I'm not opposed to a bit of wrestling. That's something we can do at my place, though." You nodded in agreement as Sans held out his hand to you. "C'mon, I know a shortcut." You accepted his fingers in your own, curling around the phalanges as you felt space shift around you. His shortcuts were always a bit jarring, but you were beginning to get used to them.

The two of you end up tussling on the floor for awhile, it eventually dissolving into a very one-sided tickle fight. The melancholy of earlier is left completely forgotten.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Call me a freak, but there's something incredibly attractive to me seeing Sans swing his arm around in the genocide route, and seeing people drawing him dodging so smoothly and smug and _ugh._ I've never completed a genocide route, and I never plan to attempt again, but just...damn. I dunno. I have a serious problem, lmfao.


	23. Walmart (Reader, Sans)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You and Sans try to beat the post-holiday traffic by arriving at the Walmart before the sun is even up. Of course, Sans can't resist the urge to do something goofy and embarrassing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Day 23 - Walmart  
> Characters: Reader, Sans
> 
> I'm going to Walmart at like 6 AM tomorrow to beat the post-Christmas traffic, and I have to go to bed early, but I'm up late catching up on my writing instead...so then I just thought, "well, what if they went to Walmart and caused trouble?" Lmao. This is the product of that thought.
> 
> Honestly though...I'm so close. I think I'm just gonna do the Christmas chapter on chapter 24 and go to bed. From there I can grind through the last few chapters through Newyears. There's gonna also be a Newyears chappie for chapter 30, so stay tuned for that. <33

You and Sans try to beat the post-holiday traffic by arriving at the Walmart before the sun is even up. Of course, Sans can't resist the urge to do something goofy and embarrassing.

You hadn't noticed at first that he had brought all manner of toys with him. One of them being an airhorn. You ,of course, learn about it's presence when he breaks off from you to go down a couple of isles and retrieve something--a loud HONK! splitting the air, followed by a sharp "mother _fucker_!" from an unfamiliar voice. Sans teleported back to you, an amused glint in his eyes, as there's some audible ranting coming from a couple isles down. It's clear that _someone_ wasn't a morning person. Despite Sans' antics, you couldn't help but snicker. "Be careful, bone boy. Don't wanna get us kicked out," you said as you tossed some bread into the cart.

Sans just shrugged in response, grinning as he tried to sneak some pastries into the cart. You gently slapped his hand. "You know sweets don't survive in the house," you tell him. "I'm pre-diabetic, and have zero resistance when it comes to avoiding sugar just laying around." Sans grumbles in response but puts the donuts back, flanking your side as you make your way through the store.

You're walking down the meats aisle when you suddenly hear 'AAAAAAHHHHH', and when you whirl around to see where the sound had come from, you see Sans, holding three rubber chickens in his arms. He has a shit-eating grin on his face as the chickens continue screaming, re-inflating as they do so. "Sans, where the Hell did you even get those?!" You exclaim, throwing your hands up in the air in exasperation, though a grin threatens to give you away as you desperatelyes try to remain angry-looking. This only seems to amuse Sans more as your face twitches and makes for some hilarious expressions.

"Oh c'mon. You know I love my pranks. There's no way I'm _chickening out_ now." You groan loudly at his pun, but you have to admit it was pretty well-placed. "Whatever, bone-boy," you sigh before turning back to what you were doing.

You're looking at some toys in the children's aisle when you suddenly hear a chorus of robotic toys saying various things. It went from completely silent to a disruptive cacophony of noise, various different dolls saying various different things all on top of each other. Songs playing, children's voices talking, and Furrfeal Friends dogs and cats making animal noises. You groan, having a feeling you knew who it was, as you storm to another aisle. Sans is, of course, the one responsible, standing there among a bunch of flashing toys and moving arms and blinking eyes, looking proud of himself for causing such chaos. You have never seen him act so goofy in a public space like this before, and you almost wished you had come later in the day, when it would be crowded and everyone could experience your shenanigans. But something told you this was just for you and you only--Sans was a bit shy, especially around Humans he didn't know.

"Wow, that is _incredibly_ annoying," you drawl, and Sans snickers loudly, nodding in agreement before striding over to you. "But it's funny, right?" He asks, and he sounds genuinely curious. You sigh and decide to relent, nodding. He seems extremely self-satisfied at this. "But seriously. We're at risk of getting in trouble. Maybe try to tone it down a bit," you tell him. He just shrugs dismissively before going back to nonchalantly browsing the goods around the two of you. You go back to the cart, waiting for the next goofy prank he had in mind.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ye, I know it's weird they went to the toys after getting food...don't question it. It's almost midnight and I'm scrambling to get the Christmas chapter out before then.


	24. Christmas (Reader, Sans, Papyrus)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's Christmas!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Day 24 - Christmas  
> Characters: Reader, Sans, Papyrus, Asgore (mentioned)

It's Christmas day, and you don't think you've ever seen Papyrus more hyper before--which was saying a lot, considering the fact he was almost always practically bouncing off the walls. Asgore--no, _Santa_ , you reminded yourself with an amused roll of your eyes--had stopped by the house with presents and set them under the Gyftmas Tree in Snowdin. The tall skeleton was excited to get to the tree and see what had been left for him. He, of course, didn't know about your presence in his kingdom--you were a Human, after all--so you didn't expect anything. But you could be happy for the skeleton brothers; even Sans looked pretty happy as he slipped on his slippers, heading for the door.

"I wonder what Santa got me this year!" Papyrus shouted as the three of you started towards the main part of town. "I wrote so many letters to him talking about what I've wanted! I really hope it's there!" His hands were clutched in front of him, a beaming smile on his face. You couldn't believe that he still believed in Santa so thoroughly, being an adult. But you supposed that must have something to do with Sans and his bizarre determination to keep Papyrus as innocent as possible. But still, you found it oddly endearing. "I'm sure he got you everything he could, Pap. Just remember that he had to visit all the other Monsters in the Underground, too." You nodded in agreement to the skeleton's statement as you continued to walk between them, Papyrus on your left, and Sans on your right. You were almost there, now, and opted to pull up your hood to conceal your face.

All of the Monsters of Snowdin knew who you were at this point, and it was like the town's secret that they were housing a Human here. You weren't worried about them--it was more about the relatives that would have more than likely traveled from other sections of the Underground that you were more worried about. The last thing in the world you needed was to nab Undyne or Asgore's attention with your presence--you really weren't too keen on dying, especially on Christmas of all days.

The three of you eventually make it to the Gyftmas Tree. As soon as it's in sight Papyrus bursts into a run, chiming a laugh and scarf flapping behind him as long legs carry him several feet per footfall. You and Sans opt in taking your time, and hang back until the crowd dies down. Sans eventually reaches under the tree, pulling out a present--and then two presents. He walks back over to you, holding one out. Your eyes widen.

"O-oh, I can't take one of your presents, Sans--" you begun to protest, but Sans shook his head and thrust the present out to you again. You observed the sticker.

**To: __  
From: Sans and Papyrus**

They...got you a present?

You slowly reached forward, grabbing the box and beginning to tear at the paper. It was so incredibly kind of them to do something like this for you, and it was weird that you were getting so emotional over it, but...you were just so flattered! As the wrapping paper fell away, it revealed what you'd been on and off talking about ever since you'd moved in with the brothers. Heat burned in the back of your eyes as you clutched it to yourself, smiling and leaning down to envelop Sans in a warm hug, before pinning Papyrus' location and doing the same. "Thank you so much, you guys," you breathed, and they both smiled and laughed. "Sure thing." "It was no problem!"

You didn't really know what you did to deserve such kindness, but you certainly weren't complaining.

The skeleton brothers really were the best.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HAHA, YES. I'VE DONE IT! WITH FIFTEEN MINUTES TO SPARE!!!


	25. Bullies (Papyrus, Sans)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When Papyrus was a baby-bones, he had some problems with bullying. Luckily, his big, brave bro Sans was always there to help.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Day 25 - Bullying  
> Characters: Papyrus, Sans
> 
> I was out all day New Years Eve, and when I got back that evening, I just wasn't feeling it. So I helped myself to a glass of wine and decided I'd tackle these last few chapters today. I promise I'll get the last 5 up before Ao3 deems it January 2nd!

When Papyrus was a baby-bones, he had always had a bit of trouble with bullying.

"What kind of Monster are you?" It was a biting question; not one of curiosity. Papyrus knew that, and winced. He had never been embarrassed by his particular race before!

"I'm a skeleton!"

"Why are you so freakishly tall?"

"I had a growth spurt! I'm nearing my brother's height now!"

"Why are you so incredibly annoying?"

"I don't consider it to be annoying! I'd rather think of it as being enthusiastic and forgiving! You look like you need a hug!"

"Fuck off, you creep! Go dust yourself or something."

"..."

Now that had been uncalled for, and Papyrus didn't really understand what he'd done to deserve the treatment. He tried to not look too bothered, like his brother had taught him, but Papyrus had always worn his SOUL on his sleeve, and now was no exception. His sockets fell and his usual beaming smile fell, as orange tears begun beading at the corners of his eyes, threatening to fall. He didn't try hiding it, though.

"Aww, is the little baby-bones skeleton going to cry? You know nobody would miss you, right? You're an experiment of Gaster--nobody will ever love someone that isn't a real Monster, you freak!"

Papyrus was full-on crying now, his SOUL throbbing in his chest as he took the verbal beating. He couldn't fight back if he tried; his SOUL was too gentle. It simply wasn't in his nature. But his very being cried out for help in his desperate hour, and in a flash of blue light and the strange sound of distorting space, his aid arrived.

"B a c k a w a y f r o m m y B r o."

The children that were ganging up on Papyrus took a cautioned step back, eyes wide as Sans now stood between them and his little brother. His right eye socket was dark, the left flickering between blue and yellow in a cool rage that, if it were possible, might have turned the bullies into skeletons, too. They turned completely pale, about ready to flee on a moment's notice. Sans made a disdained sound--they all turned cowards when someone that could actually do something showed them up. Pathetic. Weren't Monsters supposed to be made of kindness and compassion?

"Y-you! How did you do that?!" One particularly brave Monster accused. Sans' sockets narrowed, and they visibly gulped, feeling their sins crawling on their back.

"Well, I guess you could just consider it one of my many talents," Sans said, casually, despite the cool rage on his face. "I don't suppose you would like to see the rest of them, right?"

The children all quickly shook their heads.

"Good. Then g e t l o s t, or you're g o n n a h a v e a b a d t i m e."

Sans had never seen a Monster flee so fast, and just to make sure that they'd think better of trying to ever show him up--he wasn't just an intimidation factor, and he wanted them to know that. He actually was tough enough to beat them up, if he cared to sink to their level. And so he pitched them forward with a bit of gravity magic, too, throwing them a few feet, before letting go and turning to Papyrus, whom huddled there looking caught between awe and fear. Sans realized the reason why, and immediately extinguished his left eye socket. His two friendly white pupils returned.

It was like a spell had been broken, and with a sudden lurch, Papyrus went from silent to beaming, wiping away his tears. His cheeks were flushed as he grinned up at Sans with all his adorable, gap-toothed glory. "W-wowie, brother! That was so cool! You really showed those meanies whose boss, huh?" Sans chuckled, nodding. "Yup, sure did bro. They shouldn't be bothering you again. And if they do, tell me." Papyrus nodded frantically, wide-eyed, which actually caused Sans to let out an all-out laugh. He absolutely adored how Papyrus was utterly enthusiastic in everything he did.

"Thank you for protecting me, Sans! I love you!"

"Heh. I love you too, bro."


	26. Post-Pacifist Party (Sans, Papyrus)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's after the Barrier is broken. Everyone is on the Surface. Sans and Papyrus are invited to a party to celebrate, and the latter skeleton insists they both go.
> 
> It's not a completely dry party, either.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Day 26 - PPP  
> Characters: Sans, Papyrus, Toriel (mentioned), Asgore (mentioned), Drunk Bunny, Jerry (mentioned)  
> Warnings: Drinking of alcohol. Nothing serious, but I know some people that get uncomfortable at the mere mention of it. Stay safe, everyone!

Monsters were finally free to roam the Surface. The Barrier was broken, Humans didn't immediately charge into war with them, and HoPe was quickly returning to Monsterkind. Life for them was good.

And so, while enthusiasm still ran high, Toriel and Asgore decided to have a party. An extravagant one, in which every Monster was invited to attend.

It wasn't really Sans' scene, but Papyrus had really wanted to go.

"Brother! Every single one of our friends is going to be there!" Papyrus exclaimed, attempting to coerce Sans into coming.

"But Jerry will be, too."

If Papyrus had a nose, it would have probably hiked up in disgust. Which would have been hilarious, as it was so incredibly out of character. Sans almost laughed.

"There are cons to every situation!" Papyrus countered instead, grabbing Sans' ankle and continuing to tug him, attempting to get him out of bed. Sans continued to make himself as heavy as possible. "Come on! You can't just stay in bed like this every day!"

When Sans continued to fail to move, Papyrus sighed before pinging the shorter skeleton's SOUL blue. Sans jerked in surprise as he was suddenly in the air, no longer on his bed. "Come on! We are already behind schedule as it is!"

\--

And that was how Sans ended up at the party, nearly shoulder-to-shoulder with other Monsters despite there being so much space. Unfortunately, he was a sort of celebrity of sorts.

Sans pushed through the crowd, trying to relocate his brother. He had been lost at some point in the swarm of Monsters trying to get Sans' attention for some reason or another. They all knew who he was--it wasn't like he was some superstar or royalty like Mettaton or their Highnesses.

This is how Sans finds Papyrus, standing over a table draped with a white tablecloth, next to a consistently smashed rabbit Monster that had pulled up a chair and flopped over there. That was also how he found a glass of wine in his brother's hand. That was also when he noticed the tall skeleton's flushed cheeks and intense expression, staring down the glass like it had insulted him, while the bunny next to him giggled.

"Sans!" Papyrus called once he caught sight of the skeleton. Usually he noticed him much quicker--it was clear his reaction time was a bit off. "What type of juice is this? It is making my magic feel all warm and tingly!"

Sans could barely stifle his laugh as he shook his head. He was too amused to be upset at the fact that this party had been keeping alcohol around without him being warned first. Papyrus had never had it before, and it was clear he was a lightweight.

"Uhh, bro? That's alcohol."

Papyrus' expression shifted at a snail's pace (and not the thunder snails that Napstablook raised, either). From a lax curiosity to slowly dawning horror. It was like watching a sloth. And then all at once there is a flash of movement as Papyrus pivots on his foot and chucks the wine glass at the nearest wall, a loud shattering and the sound of spattering liquid following suit. The Drunk Bunny was rolling on the floor cackling by this point, and Sans couldn't help but laugh a bit himself at the utterly betrayed look on Papyrus' face.

This was going to be an interesting remainder of the night, Sans thought to himself.


	27. Collision of Worlds (Sans, Reader) (Part 1)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You were just an everyday Undertale player. You did NOT sign up for this.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Day 27 - Collision of Worlds  
> Characters: Reader (Undertale Player), Sans

When you came back to check your Undertale client, it was for one reason.

You still loved the game--you loved it a lot. You loved the fandom, the art, the written works, and the roleplays that all came with it. But after aborting a genocide route and resetting to leave it with Frisk staying in the RUINS with Toriel, you'd walked away, deciding you didn't want to be responsible for the suffering of your favorite characters anymore, whether they were actually real or not.

It's several months after you'd walked away, and you were worried, because as time passed, you fretted more and more that you actually forgot to RESET--that you left it on a bad note, with over half of the Underground dead. You had never waned to kill anyone--your friends pestered you, and when you had beaten Undyne, you wanted to vomit with guilt afterwards. You really had felt your sins crawling on your back. So when you sat down and opened up the game again, it wasn't to bend Frisk to your whims. It was to make sure you had set it all back to zero, so that they could go about their lives.

But as soon as you booted up the game, something went wrong.

You don't know what happened, but one moment you're sitting in your office chair, in front of your computer, and the next you're on a hard tile floor, sprawled on your back. And from the pain in your spine, you had fallen to get there. But the thing was, the space around your computer was carpeted. You opened your eyes and sat up, looking around. The room was familiar and yet completely new, and you knew for a fact that you've never been here before.

Another thing that you found familiar but knew you've never seen before was the skeleton staring at you from his seat in an office chair a few feet away. You jump and yelp, and his eye sockets narrow at you as he stands up, walking over to you. "You were about to play again," he says, and his voice is both nothing and everything you were expecting. Your heart both melted and froze in a casing of ice at this whole situation. You felt like you were going to have a bad time.

"I-I was double checking to make sure I left Frisk at the beginning, in the RUINS," you said, knowing better than to pretend and play dumb. That would only get you into deeper shit than you were already. Sans seems to be somewhat satisfied with your smartness, but still annoyed and visibly angry. Even though you're hardly as responsible as the next person, you still don't blame him for his anger. "I didn't plan on going any further. I wanted to give them the chance to make their own choices, rather than have someone marionette them through the Underground. I _promise,_ Sans."

The skeleton looked at you for a long time, eye sockets dark and narrowed. You never thought you would have been on the receiving end of such a facial expression.

"Alright," he said finally, backing up. When he blinked, his eyes were the usual with white eyelights, and his expression had that impassive grin.

Somehow, that unsettled you more.


	28. Collision of Worlds (Sans, Reader) (Part 2)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You and Sans discuss things. It could go a lot worse, to say the least.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Day 28 - Collision of Worlds (part 2)  
> Characters: Reader, Sans

You've been stuck in this alternate dimension for awhile now. You've already pretty much lost hope of ever getting back, as Sans has attempted doing it several times now, and each time...something bad happens.

"I'm sorry, Sans...It's just..." You sighed, looking down at your lap as you try to regain control over your emotions. "A few years ago it might have been okay if this happened, but...I have a life now? You're honestly my favorite character in the entire game, and I have a lot in common with you, but...this isn't the fairy tale I always thought it could be. It's actually a lot to take in, and it's very...stressing." Sans nodded in response, taking a seat beside you. You were both still in his lab, basically twiddling your thumbs. It wasn't really a good idea for you to leave the lab; that was probably the worst part. You couldn't even leave this place, and boredom was not something you were good at dealing with. It was only bearable when Sans was in the room. The skeleton had also calmed down significantly since your arrival, no longer aggressive or even angry. He had given you the benefit of the doubt--which you were grateful for.

"What if there's another version of me up there?" You asked. "Couldn't that cause a paradox or something? If Frisk decides to leave the RUINS and run through the Underground, and free all of Monsterkind, would I have to stay down here?" You looked down at your lap. "And...what if they do a genocide? Will I ever return home?" You look up at Sans, to see his eye sockets are pinched in remorse. "I don't want to die, Sans. I know a lot of people have killed you already, and you know what death feels like, but...I'm...I'm a coward. I don't think I can handle this kind of pressure."

Sans nodded, standing up from his own seat and walking over to you before taking his seat again. He looked guilty, and you rested your head on his shoulder, both at an attempt at comfort for him, as well as for yourself. The guy could deal with it--you were stressed, and this was kind of his fault. To your surprise, he raises a hand from behind and begins massaging your back. It's a bit painful, due to the boniness of his phalanges having no padded skin covering, but he lightens up until you stop curling into yourself or hissing in pain, and instead lean into his touches.

"There's billions of Humans," Sans tells you. "It's very unlikely that you'll see yourself; especially in an alternate dimension. We're not parallel; if anything, we're perpendicular. So in that regard, you should be fine. Do you understand?" You nod. "And, well, now that the Kid is in total control and you're not, I'm not to worried about them doing a violence. They're ten years old. No child is just filled with that kind of malice all on their own. Heh." You nodded and put your faith into the skeleton's words, finally allowing your shoulders to relax.

"We can keep trying to send you back," Sans said after a few minutes of silence had passed between the two of you. "It'll probably be awhile, and I'm pretty sure Alphys will have about enough of it after awhile and might come down here herself to give us an earful, but...heh." He shrugged. "You weren't who I was lookin' for. So you're an innocent in all this." You looked off to the side at this--you weren't completely guilty, but you weren't completely innocent either. Plus, well, you were torn. You were finally in the same universe as your favorite character of all time; but on the other hand, you had a family, and friends, as well as a life to return to...life in this world was unpredictable. Anything could go wrong. But it would also be interesting, and full of magic, and something that wasn't such a big slap of reality as reading a book and knowing that it would never be real. Could you really leave that?

"Can I have some time to think?" You asked, and Sans paused, looking you in surprise, before nodding.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I pride myself on the fact that I've never completed a genocide route. And now I never plan to go through with one, even if someone puts me at gunpoint.


	29. Cancer (Sans, Papyrus, Reader)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You found out that you have Cancer. By the time the tumor is found, it's already too late to do anything about it, and you know your time is limited.  
> The skelebros try to make the remainder of the time you have the best they possibly can.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Day 29 - Cancer  
> Characters: Reader, Sans, Papyrus

They've been spending all their time with you. Every waking moment they're at your side, killing time with silly stories and distracting activities, or snuggle puddles that left you feeling pleasantly warm. But their constant presence, though appreciated, only seemed to serve as the constant reminder that your days were limited. That they wanted to make sure they could memorize every single detail about you, so explicitly that they could never forget. You knew that you would have died at some point or another while they were still young. Be you die in your twenties from Cancer or in your eighties from Heart Attack, they wouldn't visibly age a day either way. Monsters live a long time.

"I love you two so much," you told the skeleton brothers, a smile on your face, as they both huddled at the bedside, seated in two chairs that they had pulled up. "You've made my life so much better since you came back up to the Surface, and it really means the world to me. And the fact that you're not abandoning me, too sad with my death coming soon...the fact you're still coming here to see me, even in the room where I know I'm going to die..." You sniffled and smiled, but were too weak to cry. "Nobody else has done that for me. And it seems small, but..." You chuckled, a raspy little sound. "Bah, I'm just repeating myself." But Sans and Papyrus were both wide-eyed and leaning forward in their seats, hanging onto your every word. It became apparent to you that they must be trying to remember your voice, too.

"Have you ever thought of recording?" You asked the skeleton brothers, and they blinked before Papyrus slapped a skeletal hand to his forehead, seeming astonished that he hadn't thought of it himself. The skeleton reaches into his pocket and pulls out his phone, swiftly unlocking it before handing it to you. You fumble for a moment before getting a handle on the phone, flipping through it until you found the camera function. Looking up at the two brothers, you smile at them. "Mind stepping out for a minute?"

The brothers looked like they wanted to protest, but Sans stands up, smiling bittersweet and gesturing for his little brother to follow. You watch as Papyrus obeys, walking dejectedly out the door. Sans pauses in the doorway, giving you a knowing smile. You smile back. "I love you, bonehead." You tell him and the skeleton jumps, turning blue, and walks out before he could end up crying right in front of you. He knew what was going to happen.

You waited for a few moments after the door clicked shut, making sure that nobody was eavesdropping, before glancing back down at the phone. You took a deep breath and wound up all the strength that remained in your frail body, pressing the record button. You had three minutes before the video would automatically stop.

"Hey guys," you started lamely, giving a weak little wave and even weaker smile into the camera of the phone. "I know I don't have much time left, so I thought I'd say some things while I'm still here, so that you can never forget." You paused, gathering your thoughts, trying to rush in your frail state. You were racing against the clock.

"I love you boys so, so much. You've stuck with me all this time despite my ups and downs, and welcomed me into your lives. And I want you to know here and now that this is not your fault in any way. It happens to the best of us." You smiled into the camera again, before continuing. "So first off...I want to put you guys on my will. Seeing how I don't have much else family, and you were the only ones to see me in my final hour, well...let this be proof that I want you to have free reins over all of my money and things. Don't feel the need to hold on to it all either; you can sell whatever you don't need. I don't want to die here today knowing that you're clinging onto every scrap of what was once me." You chuckled, and ended up coughing mid-laugh. It took up a full thirty seconds of your video, making you a bit more frantic.

You had a minute left. Time to wrap it up.

"Most importantly, I want you guys to be able to move on. There are billions of Humans out there, and many of them aren't kind to Monsters, but I know some are. I don't want you to find my carbon copy--that person doesn't deserve to live in my shadow. Find someone new, someone that can make you just as happy." You took another shuddering breath; it was beginning to get difficult to keep breathing, and your eyes were beginning to get heavy. So, so heavy.

"And most importantly, don't shut yourselves out. This is especially for you, Sans. I know how sad you can get sometimes. I know you knew when you walked out of the room that I was going to do this, and what was going to happen once I finished recording. You're smart. But I want you to stay in everyone's lives. I want you to take care of yourself, and let your brother in. You both can't make it alone in this world; you were meant to be together." Thirty seconds left.

"I love you boys both so much. Remember me, but...don't pretend. I'm gone, but I'll always love you, no matter what. Goodbye."

You tapped the 'end recording' button and dropped the phone, wheezing hard. The heart monitor attached to you begun slowing down as black encroached on your vision. At some point doctors and nurses rushed into the room, but you were out of it. The feel of electricity pulsing across your skin feels like a light tickling sensation as all sensation dies.

Your eyes close, and your breathing stops. The heart monitor falls silent.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *deep breath*  
> ONE MORE  
> JUST ONE MORE  
> FUcK


	30. New Years Celebration (Reader, Sans)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's the dawn of a new year, and the first New Year's holiday with Monsterkind on the Surface.  
> It's the end of the last chapter, and the start of the next.  
> This year kind of sucked, but you're looking forward to what's ahead, rather than glancing at what claws at your back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Day 30 - New Year's Celebration  
> Characters: Reader, Sans
> 
> Last chapter, people! Thank you so much to those of you that followed me along through this challenge! I am honestly so incredibly proud that I managed to make it (even if it is in just the knick of time. With like 6 minutes to spare, ffs). Maybe later this year I'll see if I can do it again, but faster! :>
> 
> Aside from "Not That Kind of Drive", this might be the most blatantly romantic chapter out of all 30. Nothing serious; mostly fluffy!
> 
> Happy 2017 everyone!

Another firework goes off overhead. It pops and crackles in the sky, lighting up your eyes, and the ivory white skull beside you.

You and Sans were currently situated on the roof of your shared house. Your phone was in hand, showing that the ball in New York had just dropped. The two of you looked over at each other and clinked your glasses of wine together, before tilting your heads back and taking the drink. Sans wasn't much of a fan of traditional alcohol, but when you had found Bloody Mary for him, he was satisfied. You, yourself, had helped yourself to some fruity white Moscato.

"Goodbye 2016," you said, and Sans smiled as he continued to watch the fireworks crackle overhead. They were wimpy neighborhood fireworks, but still fireworks none-the-less. "Hello 2017," Sans finished for you, and you both looked at each other, easygoing smiles on your faces. Neither of you knew if it was the moment, the drinks, or both, but you both leaned in and kissed, lips brushing against teeth in a gentle peck that wasn't nearly as passionate as some kisses on television, but was still a kiss none-the-less.

You looked Sans in the eyes as the two of you parted. His eye lights were a bit hazy, and he looked completely relaxed. And not in the 'roll over and take it' sort of way; he was genuinely calm, disarmed and content in your presence. You felt both your heart and SOUL flutter and soar at the pride that came with this fact, lifting a hand to rest it over his bony ones. Sans' hand turns in your gentle grip so that his phalanges can entwine with your own fingers as the two of you switch your attention back to the sky. There's the sound of cheering coming from your phone as well as the surrounding neighborhood, and there's the sound of _real_ fireworks going off a ways away, at the nearest stadium. As cool as fireworks were, you were much happier in the lone company of your best friend, and would be happier here than shoulder-to-shoulder with a bunch of overly excited bodies, most in which were probably fixing to get drunk.

The two of you saw the romance in this new beginning; you held strong in your friendship ever since you met, and there was a chance that it might escalate into something more, judging from the affection you saw in Sans' sockets. You couldn't legally be together yet, but like with homosexuals rights' to marriage and other such laws, you were confident that you would get there eventually.

"So this is what it's like to be happy," Sans suddenly said, and you looked up at him. You felt a ball of warmth lodged deep within your being, and you realized that a great deal of it was coming off of Sans. He turned to look at you again, seeing your awed expression, and laughed. "Heh. Well, I have a new years resolution right here: and that's to be happy more often." It was a good resolution, and you nodded at him. "Yeah, me too," you agreed. You were both sad people, but when you felt this happy in this moment, you knew it wasn't impossible to feel this happy all the time. Difficult, certainly, but not impossible.

"I look forward to it." Sans told you, before turning his attention back to the sky once more. He shifts so that he can lay down and face the sky more directly. They've mostly died down by now, but there was still the occasional crackle. You, however, had taken to watching the skeleton's face. He looked content, and it was such a beautiful look on him.

Yeah...you just knew this year would be great.


End file.
